Things allegedly got ugly at a Texas 24 Hour Fitness earlier this month when authorities said a 25-year-old female became enraged after spotting another women she believed was involved with her boyfriend.

Deputies with the Precinct 4 Constable’s Office said Aralyn Martinez grabbed a 25-pound weight plate and rushed toward the other woman who was working out on the floor of the gym in Spring, KHOU-TV reported. Spring is about 30 minutes north of Houston.

‘Now the boyfriend & the victim are enjoying date night while she’s in lockup. Do better.’

Cellphone video deputies reviewed reportedly shows Martinez threatening to drop the weight on the woman before throwing it toward her head, the station said.

The woman was able to move out of the way just in time, avoiding serious injury, KHOU reported.

Precinct 4 Capt. Juan Flores told the station that other gym users intervened and were able to calm the situation before it escalated further.

Martinez left the gym shortly after the confrontation but was later arrested, KHOU said.

RELATED: Texas yoga teacher who murdered love rival and fled country seeks retrial, pushing victimhood narrative

Image source: Harris County (Texas) Constable Precinct 4

Martinez is charged with aggravated assault with a deadly weapon, a felony, the station said, adding that she has since been released on a $1,000 bond.

As part of her bond conditions, Martinez was ordered to stay at least 200 feet away from the home and workplace of the alleged victim, KHOU said.

Authorities added to the station that Martinez and the other woman did not know each other personally before the incident.

“Not very often with weights and not very often at a gym,” Flores remarked to KHOU regarding the unusual case.

“We do know a 25-pound weight, or any weight … can be a deadly weapon considering where you hit the person.”

RELATED: Deadly love triangle: Michigan woman accused of murdering ‘best friend,’ they had been brawling for days over the same man

Commenters under KHOU’s video report about the incident were incredulous over the bond amount — among other issues:

“That bond is ridiculously low,” one commenter said. “These courts don’t hold very much respect for human life. She tried to kill someone.””Hold up, she could’ve killed her, and she got a $1,000 bond?” another commenter inquired.”Only $1,000 to repeat it successfully next time,” another commenter observed. “How nice, always for the criminals.””There’s an epidemic of people [who] can’t control their emotions,” another commenter noted.”Goofy. Now the boyfriend & the victim are enjoying date night while she’s in lockup,” another commenter wrote. “Do better.”

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Democrats Salman Bhojani and Dr. Suleman Lalani are the first-ever Muslims to be elected to the Texas legislature — and BlazeTV host Sara Gonzales is sounding the alarm that their presence is more insidious than Texans might think.

“They were both born in Pakistan. They were both, by the way, sworn in as Texas House representatives with the Quran, which, in my opinion, shouldn’t be allowed. And they’re both attempting to implement Islamic laws, values, morals, principles, honor into our state,” Gonzales explains.

“They’re both running again for re-election in the Democrat primaries. … I want to show you what they just did — both did and attempted to do in the last legislative session,” she continues.

Lalani has put forward several resolutions that concern Gonzales, like HR32, recognizing “Pakistan Day” at the Capitol.

“Now, again, it’s a resolution. It’s very informal. You know, you might say, ‘Well, it doesn’t really mean much.’ Well, actually it does. Actually it does — that the Republicans in the state of Texas would go along with this. Actually it does, because this is not about freedom of religion,” Gonzales explains.

“In Pakistan, sex outside of marriage is illegal. The punishment for that particular offense ranges from up to five years in prison for minors to 100 lashes for unmarried adults to — it could be as severe as stoning to death for married adults,” she says.

“And because the majority of citizens believe in Islam and Sharia law, including law enforcement, there’s actually a lot of things that happen that are technically illegal, but they just kind of cover their eyes and let it happen,” she continues, pointing out that this covers “honor killings.”

Honor killings occur usually when a woman or girl is perceived to have brought shame on her family by her actions. A male typically carries one out by murdering the girl or woman for her actions.

“By the way, child marriage? Fine in Pakistan,” Gonzales comments, disturbed.

“Data from the National Police Bureau indicates that at least 405 women fell victim to honor crimes during the year. Domestic violence accounted for at least 1,641 cases of murder and 3,385 cases of beating,” she reads from a report. “That’s what the culture is like over in Pakistan.”

Another piece of the report Gonzales refers to covers the story of a Christian man who was badly beaten by a mob after being accused of “blasphemy” and died from his injuries shortly after.

“Can’t be Christian there. You can’t say anything. You better not say anything bad about Allah or Muhammad, else you get killed in Pakistan. And acid attacks are also a thing there, of regular occurrence,” she explains.

“By the way, journalists are mysteriously killed. If you criticize the government, if you criticize any of the leaders, you might just mysteriously end up unalived. Also, you’re not allowed to protest the government. If you’re a citizen and you protest the government, you may actually just poof, disappear,” she continues.

“Hearing what the culture in Pakistan is all about, hearing what it’s like in this Islamic state, the Islamic state of Pakistan … are any of those values that you align with?” she asks. “I’m guessing the answer is no. So why did the Texas House honor Pakistanis on Pakistan Day?”

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Texas Gov. Greg Abbott (R) is taking action in response to a public school district’s alleged plan to use its facilities for an event sponsored by a designated foreign terrorist organization, according to a letter obtained by Blaze News.

The Islamic Games Houston 2026 is scheduled to be held in Cypress, Texas, in September or October, according to the event’s website. The event will feature several competitive sports, including basketball, soccer, a charity run, track, and swimming.

‘Texans expect immediate action to curb the spread of Islamic extremism, and public facilities funded by their tax dollars will not be utilized to benefit terrorist organizations.’

While the event webpage notes that the date and location of the games are still being determined, it features an aerial map of Sprague Middle School and Bridgeland High School, unified campuses in the Cypress Fairbanks Independent School District. The map of the schools’ properties indicates where attendees can enter, register, pray, grab food, and participate in the various sporting events.

According to an archived version of the Islamic Games Houston 2025, Bridgeland High School and Sprague Middle School hosted the games last year.

The website previously listed the Council on American-Islamic Relations’ New Jersey chapter as a sponsor but has since removed the organization’s logo. Abbott designated CAIR and the Muslim Brotherhood as foreign terrorist and transnational criminal organizations in November. CAIR has pushed back against the governor’s designation.

On Wednesday afternoon, Abbott’s office sent a letter to the Cypress Fairbanks Independent School District demanding it “immediately preserve all records and communications concerning this event.”

“You must confirm with my office within seven days of receiving this letter that any negotiations or agreements for this event have been terminated. If you fail to do so, I will direct the Texas Education Agency to immediately seize and uncover any communications direct employees may have regarding CAIR, any attempts to conceal CAIR’s involvement, and any agreements or financial statements related to the proposed event,” Abbott wrote.

He stated that he would also direct the Texas Education Agency to refer any of its findings to Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton for possible legal action.

RELATED: ‘Total ban’ on Sharia law is on the horizon, Texas Gov. Abbott tells Glenn Beck: ‘That will pass overwhelmingly’

Photo by John Greim/LightRocket via Getty Images

In the letter to the school district, Abbott accused CAIR-NJ of praising “Hamas’ slaughter of innocent civilians.”

“You cannot invite such dangers through the front doors of our schools. In fact, state law requires public schools to prohibit illegal activities from taking place on school property. It is obvious, then, that you may not use taxpayer-funded public facilities to host events sponsored by a designated terror organization. To do so would violate your duty to taxpayers and the safety of students. Radical Islamic extremism is not welcome in Texas — and certainly not in our schools,” Abbott wrote.

“Texans deserve immediate action to curb the spread of Islamic extremism, and public facilities funded by their tax dollars will not be utilized to host terrorist related groups,” he added.

The Islamic Games’ website also indicated that it was slated to host the 2026 Dallas event at a school within the Grapevine-Colleyville Independent School District on May 9 and 10. However, the district told Blaze News that the reservation for the facility “was still in negotiation review and not yet finalized.”

“On January 19, GCISD was made aware that an organization listed as a sponsor of the Islamic Games in North Texas has been declared a Terrorist Organization by the Governor of Texas. Texas Government Code § 2252.152 states that, ‘[a] governmental entity may not enter into a governmental contract with a company identified as a foreign terrorist organization,'” Nicole Lyons, GCISD’s executive director of communications, told Blaze News.

“Thus, GCISD provided notice that it is severing the negotiations for the use of District properties for the 2026 Islamic Games,” Lyons added.

Abbott’s letter to CFISD noted that GCISD “rightfully” announced it had severed negotiations and encouraged CFISD to do the same.

RELATED: Gov. Abbott talks redistricting victory, action against CAIR with Glenn Beck

Greg Abbott. Photo by Brandon Bell/Getty Images

A spokesperson with CAIR-NJ told Blaze News that its chapter “fully supports” the Islamic Games but noted that the group typically sponsors the events held in New Jersey.

“This one is outside of our state,” the spokesperson stated.

The Islamic Games have upcoming events outside Texas, including in New Jersey, Ontario, Illinois, Maryland, and Michigan.

CFISD and the Islamic Games did not respond to a request for comment.

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While the Minnesota fraud scandal and ensuing investigation are nothing to joke about, two Health and Human Services officials took a moment out of their busy schedules to share some “unsolicited commentary” about their job performance.

On Wednesday morning, HHS Deputy Secretary Jim O’Neill and assistant secretary of the Administration for Children and Families Alex Adams stepped in front of the camera to respond to the humorous feedback they have received from those paying attention to their work.

“Protecting state and federal child care dollars and holding Governor Walz accountable, courtesy of Bert and Ernie,” read a caption to the video.

— (@)

‘This is what I want my government to be.’

The two officials took turns reading comments from viewers.

“Why does this feel like a late-night class-action lawsuit commercial? ‘Do you or a loved one have mesothelioma? Call 1-800 …'” O’Neill read.

RELATED: Trump administration sends Democrats into hysterics by freezing funding to 5 blue states over fraud concerns

Photographer: Eric Lee/Bloomberg via Getty Images

“They look like injury-claim lawyers that have the nickname ‘the Hammer’ on a billboard in rural Indiana,” Adams read out loud.

“These are the kind of nerds that will save the union,” O’Neill said.

“I’m getting strong Bert and Ernie energy,” Adams said.

“You’re Bert,” O’Neill joked.

A lengthier comment said, “These dorks are amazing. They found policies that enable the massive fraud, they’re stopping it, and they got in front of a camera to explain it to us. This is what I want my government to be.”

In a final comment, Adams read, “I love these guys. The vibe feels like ‘behind the camera’ people being told they need to wear a suit tomorrow.”

The fraud investigation was helped by the outpouring of information into HHS’ tip line at childcare.gov, where they said that they had quickly received more than 500 tips for their investigation.

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President Donald Trump addressed the annual World Economic Forum meeting in Davos, Switzerland, on Wednesday and had a tough message for a rapidly transforming Europe.

Trump began his message by lamenting the direction Europe is going. Trump pointed out that by most metrics, Europe is shrinking where it should be growing.

‘That’s why issues like energy, trade, immigration, and economic growth must be central concerns to anyone who wants to see a strong and united West.’

“The consequences of such destructive policies have been stark, including lower economic growth, lower standards of living, lower birth rates, more socially disruptive migration, more vulnerability to hostile foreign adversaries, and much, much smaller militaries,” Trump said.

He also referred to European leaders as “stupid people” for buying Chinese-made windmills and other “Green New Scam” materials instead of investing in more efficient means of energy.

“You’re supposed to make money with energy, not lose money,” he quipped.

RELATED: ‘Have some godd**n balls’: Newsom posts bizarre meltdown video about Trump from Davos

Photo by Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images

Despite the jab, President Trump reminded these European leaders that the United States is deeply vested in the future and well-being of their countries.

“The United States cares greatly about the people of Europe. We really do. I mean, look, I am derived from Europe. Scotland and Germany. … We believe deeply in the bonds we share with Europe.”

“As a civilization, I want to see it do great. That’s why issues like energy, trade, immigration, and economic growth must be central concerns to anyone who wants to see a strong and united West.”

Trump called for a stark reversal of European decline: “Europe and those counties have to do their thing. They have to get out of the culture that they’ve created over the last 10 years. It’s horrible what they’re doing to themselves. They’re destroying themselves … these beautiful, beautiful places.”

“We want strong allies, not seriously weakened ones. We want Europe to be strong,” Trump concluded.

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President Donald Trump delivered a scathing rebuke of mass migration, pointing to Minnesota as a cautionary tale.

During his Wednesday speech at the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland, Trump warned of the dangers and destabilization caused by mass migration. As in many European countries, whose leaders were in attendance, migrants have flooded the United States by the millions, many of them taking advantage of social programs, committing crimes, and failing to assimilate.

‘We have to defend that culture.’

Trump pointed to Minnesota as a prime example of the failures of mass migration, noting the immense fraud and cultural disruption brought about by Somalian immigrants.

“The situation in Minnesota reminds us that the West cannot mass-import foreign cultures which have failed to ever build a successful society of their own,” Trump said.

RELATED: Trump administration halts visas for 75 nations whose people gobble up American welfare

Michael Siluk/UCG/Universal Images Group via Getty Images

“We’re taking people from Somalia, and Somalia … it’s not a nation,” Trump said. “Got no government. Got no police. Got no military. Got no nothing.”

Trump went on to criticize Democratic Rep. Ilhan Omar of Minnesota, a Somalian immigrant.

“She comes from a country that’s not a country,” Trump said. “And she’s telling us how to run America. Not going to get away with it much longer.”

RELATED: Woke Whitmer appointee from Nigeria admits to day-care scam, stealing millions from Michigan taxpayers

Krisztian Bocsi/Bloomberg via Getty Images

“The explosion of prosperity, in conclusion, and progress that built the West did not come from our tax codes. It ultimately came from our very special culture,” Trump said. “This is the precious inheritance that America and Europe have in common. We share it. We share it, but we have to keep it strong.”

“We have to defend that culture and rediscover the spirit that lifted the West from the depths of the Dark Ages to the pinnacle of human achievement,” Trump said.

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Whether it’s Jimmy Kimmel’s increasingly unhinged rhetoric or carbon-copy monologues from all the late-night hosts accusing President Trump of having a relationship with Epstein — comedy has taken a serious nose dive.

And BlazeTV host Stu Burguiere is among those getting a little tired of it.

“Late-night hosts have come to this place where now they seemingly, anytime Trump does anything, they just accuse it as being somehow tied to the Epstein files,” BlazeTV host Stu Burguiere tells film critic and reporter Christian Toto on “Stu Does America.”

“Jimmy Kimmel … he’s one of the smallest, and he obviously had this big back-and-forth with the president where he tried to be Mr. Tough Guy, and he was praised by Hollywood and the left for this,” he continues.

“He’s calling him a maniac for not only just killing people overseas but killing an unarmed 37-year-old woman during the ICE operation. He put a shirt on TV that said Donald Trump is going to come kill you. This is a man who’s almost been assassinated multiple times,” he adds.

“Yeah, squint all you want. You’re not going to see comedy,” Toto responds. “That’s not even the point at this point.”

“You know, the thing that makes me really sad about the culture at large is that I think it was 2017, Kathy Griffin put up that fake Trump head, you know, it was bloody, it was disgusting. And collectively, as a culture, we recoiled, and her career just vanished overnight,” he continues.

However, while Griffin’s move was career-ending, Toto points out that today no one would bat an eye.

“I think people on the right would blink for sure, and they’d be upset about it, but I think center-left people, people who just go about their day-to-day business, I don’t think anyone would bat an eye. … And Jimmy Kimmel is part of the reason why,” he says, adding, “And what he’s doing is wildly irresponsible.”

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Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent issued a rhetorical beatdown against Democratic California Gov. Gavin Newsom during the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland.

Newsom is trying to expand his national and global profile for the sake of a possible presidential campaign in 2028 and used the forum to criticize President Donald Trump. On Wednesday, Bessent issued a strong rebuke of the Democrat.

‘Shame on him. He is too smug, too self-absorbed, and too economically illiterate to know anything.’

“I think it’s very, very ironic that Governor Newsom — who strikes me as Patrick Bateman meets Sparkle Beach Ken — may be the only Californian who knows less about economics than Kamala Harris,” said Bessent.

“He’s here this week with his billionaire sugar daddy, Alex Soros. And Davos is the perfect place for a man who, when everyone else was on lockdown, when he was having people arrested for going to church, he was having thousand-dollar-a-night meals at the French Laundry [restaurant],” he added.

“My message to Governor Newsom,” Bessent said, “is the Trump administration is coming to California, we are going to crack down on waste, fraud, and abuse.”

He went on to list California’s problems, including homelessness, the mass exodus of residents, a massive budget deficit, and continued fallout from the devastating Palisades fire a year ago.

“Shame on him. He is too smug, too self-absorbed, and too economically illiterate to know anything,” he concluded.

“Let me know if you need any further clarification!” he added.

RELATED: Scott Bessent has joined the effort to uncover funders of Antifa violence, White House says

President Donald Trump also spoke at Davos and defended his campaign to annex Greenland while touting the state of the economy under his leadership.

“Greenland is a vast, almost entirely uninhabited and undeveloped territory. It is sitting undefended in a key strategic location between the U.S., Russia, and China,” said the president.

“It is a core national security interest of the U.S. — and in fact, has been our policy for hundreds of years to prevent outside threats from entering our hemisphere,” Trump added.

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The communist regime in Beijing has long worked to undermine the United States.

China — which the first Trump administration recognized as a “revisionist” power keen on shaping “a world antithetical to U.S. values and interests” — and its agents have run intimidation and coercion campaigns out of illegal police stations on American soil; engaged in espionage and political destabilization efforts in the U.S.; and launched numerous cyberattacks on American institutions and critical infrastructure.

Perhaps most importantly, China has bought up vast swathes of strategically significant U.S. land.

‘Arkansas was the first state in the country to kick communist China off our farmland and out of our state.’

Some states have taken meaningful steps to fight back against these and other subversive initiatives.

The efforts by Arkansas, in particular, to defend against Chinese communist influence and infiltration have not only captured Beijing’s attention but that of State Shield, a foreign-influence watchdog group founded by Joe Gebbia, the co-founder of Airbnb who went to work last year for the Department of Government Efficiency.

State Shield, which works in over 10 states to advance policies to counter Chinese influence and bolster regional and national security, has awarded Arkansas an A+ rating in its inaugural 2025 State Shield Scorecard and named Gov. Sarah Huckabee Sanders (R) “Best Governor for National Security.”

“Arkansas was the first state in the country to kick Communist China off our farmland and out of our state, and we didn’t stop there,” Sanders said in a statement obtained by Blaze News.

“We’ve taken real action to protect our land, our data, and our taxpayers from hostile foreign influence,” continued the governor. “This recognition shows that strong leadership at the state level makes a real difference in keeping our people and our economy secure.”

RELATED: The truth behind Trump’s Venezuela plan: It’s not about Maduro at all

Photo by Kevin Frayer/Getty Images

Whereas subsequent scorecards will reflect annual reviews of legislative activity, State Shield indicated its inaugural scorecard reflects an evaluation of work completed from 2021 to 2025. During that period, Arkansas passed numerous laws aimed at curbing foreign influence.

Last year, for instance, the Natural State, enacted legislation:

withholding funding for a state-supported institution of higher education that has a Confucius Institute or similar institute related to China, prohibiting state-sponsored investment in China, and banning sister cities with China;barring Chinese Communist Party-controlled businesses from leasing any interest in Arkansas land or holding any interest in agricultural land located within a 10-mile radius of critical infrastructure; andprohibiting colleges and universities from engaging in the creation of agricultural products, conducting classified research, or conducting agricultural research under a contract with a prohibited foreign party.

In addition to ratifying these and other pieces of legislation on-theme, Gov. Sanders moved the needle on countering Chinese influence with numerous actions and executive orders.

‘It is indeed necessary to be vigilant against Arkansas’ anti-China moves.’

Among the gubernatorial actions highlighted by State Shield was Sanders’ January 2023 executive order aimed at protecting Arkansas information and communications technology from the influence of adversarial foreign regimes, and her EO banning CCP-linked TikTok on state networks and state-issued devices.

Arkansas’ efforts to curb Chinese influence have infuriated the communists in Beijing.

When, for instance, Arkansas ordered the subsidiary of a China-owned agricultural firm ChemChina to sell off land in the Natural State pursuant to Arkansas Act 636 — legislation ratified in 2023 by Sanders — the CCP propaganda publication Global Times viciously attacked the governor.

The publication accused Sanders both of advancing “undignified” rhetoric and proving that “American politicians are incapable of driving local development, but are good at orchestrating political farces.”

It further warned that “it is indeed necessary to be vigilant against Arkansas’ anti-China moves, as they could potentially lead to imitation and similar actions by other conservative U.S. states.”

State Shield’s scorecard indicates that while Arkansas leads the pack, other red states — especially Nebraska — aren’t far behind.

Sanders, whose efforts have in some cases dovetailed with the Trump administration’s, said early last year, “President Trump is the first president in my lifetime to take a hard line against communist China, and we are proud to support that work in Arkansas by getting communist China off our land and out of our state.”

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Europeans breathed a sigh of relief after President Donald Trump ruled out using military intervention to acquire Greenland.

Trump took another victory lap Wednesday during his speech at the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland, recapping all the successes of the first year of his second term. During these remarks, Trump clarified that he would not send boots on the ground in the “piece of ice” known as Greenland.

‘I don’t have to use force.’

“We want a piece of ice for world protection, and they won’t give it,” Trump said. “We’ve never asked for anything else.”

“They have a choice,” Trump added. “You can say yes, and we will be very appreciative, or you can say no, and we will remember.”

RELATED: Trump cites Nobel Peace Prize snub in latest push for Greenland takeover

Photo by Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images

Trump followed his ominous statement with a reassuring one, remarking for the first time publicly that the United States will not forcefully take Greenland.

“We probably won’t get anything unless I decide to use excessive strength and force, where we would be, frankly, unstoppable, but I won’t do that,” Trump said.

RELATED: ‘Make America Go Away’: Protests erupt in Greenland after Trump threatens tariffs on Europe

Krisztian Bocsi/Bloomberg via Getty Images

“That’s probably the biggest statement I made, because people thought I would use force. I don’t have to use force. I don’t want to use force.”

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Christians are called to be people of truth. But when we fail to ground our thinking in biblical principles, we can end up telling inadvertent lies — and mischaracterizing fellow believers in the process.

Exhibit A: this post from a Christian writer and speaker, sharing with her Christian followers, regarding current events centered in Minneapolis.

Empathy for the hurting extends to all those who hurt, and plenty have been hurt by the assault on our borders over the past few years.

She writes:

I’m reading through the gospels right now, and I’m struck by what the leaders of Israel enticed the crowds to demand — that an innocent man be put to death and a murderer (Barabbas) be freed from prison and the obvious consequences of his egregious actions. This is the hallmark of an unjust society, where we vilify those who have done nothing wrong (and treat them like criminals), or we applaud and set free those who harm others.

She never mentions Minnesota or Immigration and Customs Enforcement, but her followers’ responses make it abundantly clear they got (and “loved”) the intended message.

‘Vilifying’ crime?

Apparently the writer perceives illegal immigrants as “those who have done nothing wrong” who we are “vilifying” and “treating like criminals.” (Pro tip: Breaking a law makes you a criminal.) ICE agents, apparently, are “those who harm others” that we are supposedly “applauding” or “setting free.”

She goes on:

I am heartbroken by the current state of things in my country. Deeply troubled. Praying. Worrying, if I’m honest. I keep watching documentaries about tyranny and cult leaders and history.

Tyranny and cult leaders? Since we hear this from the left constantly, we know exactly what she’s trying to say.

And that’s what “deeply troubles” ME.

That the current administration — which is carrying out the federal government’s long-neglected role in protecting our borders and thus our communities — is somehow tyrannical. That those of us who support this, many of us who voted for this, are akin to a “cult.”

Thinking it through

I’m troubled by Christians who knee-jerk react to the world without thinking issues through biblically, as she demonstrates here:

I do understand the nature of evil — to call evil good and good evil.

My friend, we are not the ones confusing evil and good here. Let’s break it down.

First, sin is evil. Period. So when we are talking about evil, we are talking about sin.Second, breaking the law is sin/evil. Unless the law directly contradicts the word of God.

Can we agree on those two principles?

If I break down your door to get into your home — even if I just walk in your unlocked door — that is a sin.

It’s a sin because it’s against the law (and that law in no way contradicts the word of God).It’s also a sin because I am taking — stealing — something that belongs to you. Your home, your privacy, your sense of safety, your peace. I have no right to invade your space. I have no right to breach your border.

Profoundly hypocritical

Doors and locks exist for a reason, just like borders and guarded crossing points do. Those who advocate for open borders (identified by their yelling, “No one is illegal!”) live in homes with doors and locks. They are profoundly hypocritical.

They are worse than hypocritical actually. Because while they still seek to protect themselves, they are happy for other people to be stripped of that right. And for other people to have to deal with the loss of safety and peace.

Consider these females, all attacked and murdered by men here illegally: Kayla Hamilton, Ruby Garcia, Lizbeth Medina, Rachel Morin, Laken Riley, Jocelyn Nungaray, Joselyn Toaquiza, Melody Waldecker, and Mollie Tibbetts.

And these women are hardly the only victims. In Texas alone, hundreds of people have died in recent years at the hands of people who entered illegally. I mention Texas because nobody else is tracking this particular statistic — Americans killed by illegal border-crossers.

Meantime thousands of illegal border-crossers who are also convicted murderers still roam free nationwide.

Of course, murder isn’t the only evil aided and abetted by illegal immigration. As we’ve seen in recent days from the same troubled state, fraud and taxpayer abuse is rampant as well, with wholly corrupt public officials turning a blind eye or benefiting from the scams.

RELATED: A protest doesn’t become lawful because Don Lemon livestreams it

Law and sin

But even if an illegal border-crosser never committed another crime nor took a dime of taxpayer money — it would STILL not be wrong to send him/her home. There is a line to get in, there are people waiting in that line, and they cut in front. They broke the law. It’s a sin. It’s evil.

(By the way, speeding is against the law too, in case we’re feeling superior in any way. God’s standards are high!)

The left cannot and will not see border issues for what they are, but Christians should take no part in the ungodly confusion of thinking that wanting to curb this evil is itself evil.

No true Christian

One of the comments to the post came from a Canadian:

I don’t even live in the USA but I am deeply troubled also. I am praying for the so called “Christian” to wake up from their slumber and see what’s really going on. True followers of Christ would not support this evil.

This comment, actually, is a sin. Because it’s wrong to assume that fellow Christians whose viewpoints on deportation proceedings differ from yours are therefore not “true followers.”

Especially in an age when people tend to get their news from the same sources over and over, we should tread very lightly in making assumptions about someone’s salvation. That is in fact the judging we’re not supposed to do, because we don’t know people’s hearts — as opposed to the judging we can do, when people say or do specific sinful things.

Can we talk?

A reasonable discussion we might have here could center around specific ICE tactics. But we can’t have that discussion because one side refuses to acknowledge the legitimacy of ICE in the first place (many also seem to be under the wholly ignorant impression it didn’t exist or take action before Trump). They also refuse to acknowledge the legitimacy of a border, for the most part.

And they certainly refuse to acknowledge the fact that actively impeding lawful efforts to enforce law is in fact breaking the law and is therefore … yes, a sin/evil.

Peacefully holding a protest sign is not wrong in any way. But let’s not pretend that’s what’s happening here, when “playbooks” are being disseminated online for physically engaging with these federal officers and “anti-ICE” groups openly call for violence. These things, as we have already seen, put the protesters — whether they are paid or just easily misled — in danger too.

Empathy for all

A topic for another time, perhaps, is the over-the-top emotion and angst over this American situation, which at this point involves the sad death of exactly one person who arguably put herself squarely in harm’s way. This response to the writer’s post is a good example:

It’s really hard for me to enjoy life like nothing is happening when so many others are hurting.

This Christian American woman is struggling to enjoy life. Because ICE. Not because thousands of Iranians are being slaughtered by the Islamic Republic of Iran, or the humanitarian crisis in Sudan, or any other people hurting, but because America is deporting people who shouldn’t have illegally crossed in.

Empathy for the hurting extends to all those who hurt, and plenty have been hurt by the assault on our borders over the past few years. With that in mind, another quote from the original post:

The way of Jesus is not conquest, nor is it victory over our so-called enemies. … It means listening to the hurting, entering into the worlds of those who differ from us, and loving people we disagree with.

I could not agree more. We Christians, who believe any government’s God-ordained job is to protect its own citizens and therefore support deportation of people who “skipped the line” to get in (especially violent people), would appreciate having a civil conversation about this topic.

That — as opposed to indirectly or directly calling us nonbelievers — would be the loving thing to do.

This article was adapted from an essay originally published on Diane Schrader’s Substack, She Speaks Truth.

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