I AM ANGRY

A Righteous Rant From Germantown’s Marc King (At the One Year Anniversary of the MoCo Conservative Blog!)

By Marc King

As the past several weeks have gone by, I find myself more irritable than usual. Everything seems to be a bit off and my wife has even asked me: “Why are you being so short about things”?

That caused me to stop and think — why am I being so testy lately?

Well I have given it some serious thought and here is what I have concluded — I’m not “testy” — I am flat out ANGRY about the way things have been going in this country and I suspect that they will not be getting better any time soon. I also suspect that what is making me angry is also making a lot of other American angry — so just what is driving these feelings.

I would start with the loss of the First Amendment of the Constitution.

It takes an enormous amount of “CHUTZPAH” (Oxford Languages Dictionary defines as “extreme self-confidence or audacity and in this example it is audacity) for Jen Psaki to stand on the platform of the White House Briefing Room and inform the American people that if you have an opinion that is different than Joe Biden’s it should labeled “misinformation” and you should be banned from the social media platform that your speech was posted on. For that matter, you should be banned from all social media.

Now, I was taught in 9^th grade civics that if the people want to change the Constitution, we do that by amending it. Study.Com tells us the Constitution’s Article V lays out the process by which the Constitution may be amended. There are actually four different ways, but only one is widely used … so let’s just focus on that: “Proposal by Congress, with ratification by the state legislatures. This method was used for all current amendments except one.”

No where in the Constitution does it say that the Executive, that is the President of the United States, or any of his Cabinet or Staff has the authority to suspend, dilute or disregard the Constitution or any of its Amendment or parts.

The Constitution that the current Executive branch is degrading, is the very same Constitution that I swore an oath to protect and defend on December 6, 1966. So when I hear Ms. Psaki speak in the manner she does, it really ticks me off.

I’m angry that we cannot have faith in the election just held months ago because we cannot be allowed to know what took place in the Socialist Democrat strong holds across the country. And believe me, something was very, very, wrong. There seems to be enough smoke to generate a fire, but those who are in charge have steadfastly refused to allow a full investigation to take place! Why is that? Information is leaked out every day that diminishes our belief in an election process that is fair and transparent. Politicians could bring forth information that can deny or confirm the numerous irregularities that seem to be there, and yet they will not. What are they hiding? Their behavior ticks me off!

I am angry about the southern border. I’m not angry at the people who have crossed or will cross illegally. It falls under Maslow’s “Hierarchy of Needs” theory. But what really ticks me off is that this situation was well under control on January 20^th of this year and just 6 months later the entire country has been plunged into chaos by illegals being moved around the county in the middle of the night by airplanes being supported by the US Air Force!

No one seems to know where they are going or how they will be supported when they get there, and still they come. Is this enough to make you angry? No?! If not, why not? Their arrival here is illegal. Their arrival is a clear violation of our statues regarding immigration. What is more, we know for a fact that helpless children are being trafficked and sexually abused along the way. Therefore it must be concluded that any use of the military and its assets to harbor or support the movement of those breaking the law, and those being victimized by the lawbreakers, has now turned those in the military into lawbreakers themselves. The Uniform Code of Military Justice, the UCMJ is clear on this matter — lawful orders must be obeyed. However, when the base commander orders his airmen and woman that they cannot communicate what they are seeing take place under the cover of darkness on the airbase, that is not a lawful order! A member of the US military cannot be ordered to break the law intentionally and knowingly! So when this occurs, and it is occurring, it really gets my dander up!

Black lives matter… they really do… except in Chicago, Los Angeles, Washington DC and New York! Every weekend it’s the same report — young people, innocent bystanders are being gunned down in the streets of their cities and no one seems to give a hoot. Blame the gun — not the gunmen — it really pisses me off!

I’m angry about the uneven application of the law! For example, in Portland and Seattle, if you begin to burn down a federal Courthouse and injure those inside protecting it, you walk free in 24 hours. But if you walk around the Capitol, you are considered an insurrectionist and you’re given an 8 month prison sentence. Many who committed no crimes have been locked up for 8 months, pre-trial! Loot, burn and destroy property — no problem! You earned it! Firebomb police cars, even if you are a sworn Officer of the Court, and nothing happens! Nor does anything happen, of real consequence, when you are the Governor of New York and are accused by multiple women of sexual harassment. In fact, you can kill helpless old folks in nursing homes, with COVID, and nothing happens! Oh… wait… something does happen: You make a book deal for millions and the people you executed are still dead. Why wouldn’t I be angry?

Oh how the list goes on: Critical Race Theory… being told by the PTA that they own your child, and if you disagree with them ‘you should die’! Even the Chairman of the Joints Chiefs is WOKE! So much so that he is searching for offensive tattoos in the ranks and debating “Gay Pride” flags while our enemies are training their asses off for nuclear war.

The next generation of military leaders at West Point are being taught that the color of your skin matters… so maybe the person you need to rely on will not be so reliable. I never saw racial discrimination in the foxhole when the bullets were flying. It seems that we were all of the same mind then, as we should be now, but we are not. That ticks me off.

Then there is China and Russia — and they really tick me off. The fact that we are seriously compromised by the Biden Crime Family — Hunter Biden’s Laptop tells the tale — both of these international rivals have their hand in Biden’s back pocket, and at least 50% of the country does not care. Why is that? That really ticks me off.

I am paying more for my gasoline; and that seriously ticks me off. Food is costing more, for no good or justifiable reason, just bad economic policy, so why shouldn’t Americans be angry? I certainly am. Because of Biden’s inflationary policy, the money I worked hard to save for my “Golden Years” is being eroded away. My family is forced to make choices that Americans should not have to make, like seeking out private schools when we pay taxes to support the public school system. That ticks me off. Taxes are going up and services are coming down. We are turning into a nation of “good enough” rather than a nation that is proud of what it achieves. Socialism and Communism look good to way too many people in this country! That really, really, really, ticks me off.

They are trying to, and in many ways, they are, wearing us down – and that My Fellow Americans — is why I am not just ticked off; that is why I’m ANGRY!

Podcast Episode 17: Critical Theory & The Communist Subversion Of The Military

Listen to our latest podcast.

The MoCo Conservative is happy to announce that The Weekly Mourner, another conservative blogger living in Montgomery County, has joined our administrative team.

Guest speaker Mark is behind The Heterodox Soldier (www.heterodoxsoldier.com), an anonymous blog started in June of 2020. The Heterodox Soldier has been an Officer in the U.S. Army for over two decades and is leaving the military.

Topics discussed on today’s podcast include:

Critical Theory; and
The Communist Subversion of the Military.

Recorded June 18, 2021

Podcast Episode 16: COVID-19, Media Manipulation & Biden’s Failures

Listen to our latest podcast.

Guest speaker Troy Smith is behind www.LaunchLiberty.com, an independent news site, and is Founder of the Project Freedom channel on YouTube. Troy lives in Howard County, MD and his article for our blog may be found here: Debate Is The Cornerstone Of Modern-Day Thinking.

Topics discussed on today’s podcast include:

Dr. Fauci and the COVID-19 connection;
Biden’s Executive Actions and repercussions; and
What’s next for the country.

Recorded February 2, 2021

Podcast Episode 15: Refugees From Communism Living In The U.S.A Today – History Is Repeating Itself

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Guest speakers Richard, Al, and Mike are the voices behind The Richard Dick Show. Topics discussed on today’s podcast include:

Living in Montgomery County and the U.S.A. as an immigrant and supporter of President Trump;
The dangers of Communism, Socialism, and everything in between; and
What’s next for the country.

Recorded January 27, 2021

Commentary: Where Is The Church In This Time Of National Crisis?

David Kinderdine is a retired pastor and lives in Montgomery County, Maryland.

Those who have studied Hitler’s rise to power and the extermination of six million Jews should see the parallels to the events currently taking place in America today.

Step 1: Create A Villain

One of Hitler’s strategies was his plan to create nationalistic pride and a superior race. To support this goal, he needed to create a villain; he found his villain in the Jewish race. Between November 9th and 10th, 1938 the Nazis carried out a mission against the Jews while authorities looked on without intervention. This night became known as Kristallnacht, or “Night of Broken Glass”; on this night, Jewish homes, hospitals, and schools were ransacked as paramilitary and civilians alike attacked and demolished 267 synagogues and over 7,000 Jewish businesses. As a result 30,000 Jewish men were arrested and incarcerated in concentration camps. The pretext for these attacks was the assassination of German diplomat Ernst vom Rath by a 17 year-old German-born Polish Jew living in Paris.

Step 2: Censorship

A second strategy used by Hitler was censorship. Censorship within the Nazi party included control of mass communication, which encompassed paper, literature, radio, and film. The Reich ministry of propaganda produced their own literature solely devoted to Nazi ideals; this literature was also very anti-Semitic.

Anti-Semitic propaganda poster from the Third Reich

Hitler knew if he isolated people and created his own narrative, he could control his opposition. He used a strategy called Gaslighting. Those who spoke out against Hitler and his policies faced intimidation and threats from the Gestapo or imprisonment and in some cases execution. All political parties had been banned. Economic opposition was eliminated as trade unions had been banned. Sadly, many Germans genuinely believed that the Nazi’s were improving Germany.

Step 3: Control The Youth

A third strategy was to control the minds of Germany’s youth, and he did this through the Hitler Youth movement. Hitler’s goal was to control the activities and teachings in classrooms and make them loyal to him. Those within the youth movement were given positions of responsibility and rewarded for their loyalty, and curriculum was biased and supportive of the Nazi narrative.

Step 4: Eliminate Opposition

A fourth strategy was to eliminate the opposition. On June 30, 1934 Hitler authorized a purge of Nazi leaders he feared were too powerful. This night became known the “Night of the Long Knives.” Hitler ordered his elite SS guard to murder hundreds that night who opposed him.

Who Was Dietrich Bonhoeffer?

In Germany a pastor/theologian named Dietrich Bonhoeffer wanted the Church to speak out against the war and the atrocities that were taking place in Germany. Yet many church leaders were frightened of the consequences. In 1940, Dietrich was forbidden by the Reich to speak out; he was further required to report regularly to the secret police. Dietrich was deeply distressed that the whole world was falling apart in an orgy of suffering and pain while the Church was strangely impotent, even unconcerned to take a stand.

On September 19, 1941 a decree was issued that required all German Jews to wear a yellow star attached to their clothing. In October 1941, the first gas chambers were installed at Auschwitz. Dietrich felt the Church’s impotence was because of their lack of moral courage. Dietrich – even though he was forbidden to speak – continued to do so in opposition to German atrocities. Norway fell to Germany early in the war, but unlike the pastors in Germany, Norwegian pastors spoke out in opposition. This brought about many arrests, though Norway’s pastors continued strong in their resistance.

Dietrich Bonhoeffer (photo credit: Wikimedia Commons)

Dietrich was later detained and imprisoned for his resistance. In prison, Dietrich declared if the government demanded that Christians sign away their submission to Christ in order to serve the state, then Christians had a responsibility to resist that Government absolutely. Under a biblical view, such a government was a false one in that it was not operating within the sphere God intended. Dietrich was eventually hanged for treason on April 9, 1945 in a concentration camp just two weeks before U.S. soldiers liberated the camp.

Today, we are witnessing a loss of our freedom of speech. We are being fed propaganda by the socialist left. We are witnessing patriots and conservatives targeted and punished for their beliefs. Our media is censoring the opposition. We have experienced unimaginable corruption at the highest levels of our government. Our agencies are not to be trusted. Our children are taught an amended version of history. Our judicial system has had a total breakdown. We are witnessing the armed forces of the United States mobilized to squash the opposition via deadly force. The core values of our Judeo-Christian faith are under attack. Worshippers are fined and threatened jail time for violating stay-at-home orders. Our elected leaders do not represent us or listen to us. Elections are being stolen.

Bonhoeffer showed that it is possible to grow in faith through any circumstance, and to take a stand in any situation or dilemma. He was willing to pay the price for his beliefs. I ask American pastors: Are you willing to do the same, or have you been rendered impotent by fear and intimidation? It’s time for the Church to stand up and speak out for what’s right or we will lose the rights given to us by the patriots who lived and died for the freedoms we enjoy today.

References:

Podcast Episode 14: Government Overreach, The Gender Pronoun Debate & How They Connect

Listen to our latest podcast.

Guest speaker Thomas Black lives in Leesburg, Virginia and is a frequent contributor to The MoCo Conservative blog. Topics discussed on today’s podcast include:

Loudoun County Public Schools’ new revision for preferred pronouns and Thomas’ response in the Loudoun Times-Mirror;
Parental involvement and the government’s perceived role in raising children; and
What does public education’s future look like in Loudoun County and the DC Metro Area?

Recorded January 13, 2021

The MoCo Conservative on Talk Radio (WCBM- The Dr. Stephanie Show)

The MoCo Conservative is the special guest on Dr. Stephanie’s show and discusses the art of Gaslighting and how the media uses it; many examples are discussed throughout the call. Recorded live on WCBM 680 AM (26:00 mark).

December 13, 2020

Reference from our blog: A Guide To Understanding Gaslighting

Commentary: A Guide To Understanding Gaslighting

Anonymous lives in Maryland.

Gaslighting is defined in psychological terms as a specific type of manipulation where the manipulator is trying to get someone else (or a group of people) to question their own reality, memory, or perceptions.

The term “gaslighting” actually comes from a 1938 play, “Gas Light” (which was turned into a more widely known movie in 1944, “Gaslight”), where a husband manipulates his wife to make her think she’s actually losing her sense of reality so he can commit her to a mental institution and steal her inheritance.

Robin Stern, Ph.D., author of The Gaslight Effect (Image credit: Robin Stern)

Robin Stern, Ph.D., Co-founder and Associate Director for the Yale Center for Emotional Intelligence, Associate Research Scientist at the Child Study Center at Yale, and author of The Gaslight Effect says it may start with seemingly small offences. The problem is when you begin questioning your own judgement or reality, thanks to the deliberate intent of someone else.

As it snowballs you can end up in a cycle of not being able to negotiate your daily life in a way where you are clear minded. It can affect your focus, and cause one to make poor decisions.

Gaslighting happens in personal relationships. One such case for gaslighting happened in my family. I have a brother who at age 51 moved in with his parents after his home was foreclosed for nonpayment of the mortgage. Additionally, he was evicted from his home by the sheriff. To complicate matters he was involved in a nasty divorce. To help put this story into perspective this brother had been arrested multiple times for petty theft. He had multiple judgements against him for indebtedness and had his drivers license suspended for failure to pay child support. Since the time he was 18 he had been fired or terminated from more than twenty jobs. At the time he moved in with his parents he was unemployed.

Under normal circumstances a parent is usually willing to assist a child who is down on their luck or facing hard times. A wise mature parent usually establishes parameters and timelines in a situation such as this. As days turned into weeks, weeks into months, and months into years my brother became comfortable in his living arrangement with his parents. As time progressed and years went by, he found ways to exploit his situation. My brother found ways to exploit my parents’ assets and bank accounts. He took full advantage of our parents’ failing cognitive skills and declining health.

Dr. Stern explains there usually tends to be a power dynamic when gaslighting happens. The manipulator holds enough power that the target of gaslighting is terrified to change the relationship or step out of the gaslighting dynamic because of the threat of losing that relationship.

If it is happening by someone you love and care about, you’re going to want to believe the other person and the gas lighter may use that against you, explains Darlene Lancer JD MFT, a marriage and family therapist in private practice and author of Codependency for Dummies.

Darlene Lancer, JD MFT and author of Codependency for Dummies (Image credit: Darlene Lancer)

Lancer explains that many people, as targets of gaslighting, change their perception in order to avoid having conflict. Many times, the gas lighter does not even realize the impact of their gaslighting. In the case of my mother and the false stories told about me by my brother in the presence of her friends, my mother would hang her head and remain silent.

In this case my brother was a desperate man. You have heard the phrase desperate people do desperate things. He was desperate. His gaslighting included telling false stories about me to his mother and to anyone who would listen. These false and persistent stories escalated and intensified for almost 10 years. This was the period during which he lived with my parents. During this time, he never sought employment. After my father died, his false stories escalated to the extent he had created a false narrative about me. The narrative was so exaggerated that I would compare it to the Big Lie, a technique used to create false narratives often used by governments to deceive its people.

Sadly, when I would call or visit my mother, she would confront me with crazy, false accusations that were baseless and untrue. These stories were the result of many years of gaslighting by my brother.

Ultimately, gaslighting was used by my brother to persuade my mother to rewrite her will and trust. My brother was successful in cheating me out of half of my inheritance totaling one million dollars. I contested this change but the judge was not familiar with the technique of gaslighting nor was it allowed as proof for creating undue influence.

Sadly, gaslighting happens in the shadows and is difficult to prove. Today, we see gaslighting in full display. From the moment President Trump descended down the escalator and announced his intention to run for president, he became the target of gaslighting. Russian collusion, inappropriate phone calls, false quid pro quo accusations, racism accusations, and tax evasion accusations were used to create a massive false narrative. This false narrative was likely created by the deep state, who feared his presidency threatened to expose the massive corruption within our country.

Now we see the largest most colossal gaslight ever. We the American people are told repeatedly by the main stream media, the deep state politicians, and deep state leaders, there was no election tampering. No fraud, no significant evidence. This is the BIG LIE 4.0.

Desperate people do desperate things. Desperate politicians and leaders do desperate things. Gaslighting is a huge tool in their plan to create and control the narrative.

References:

Podcast Episode 6: Guest Colleen Meyer Discusses “Toxic Positivity,” Children Suffering During COVID, and Connecting with Conservatives

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Colleen Meyer lives in Howard County, Maryland and is a political activist and organizer for the Reopen Howard County Schools initiative. Topics discussed on today’s podcast include:

“Toxic positivity” when it comes to the radical Left’s pressure to keep schools closed;
The effect of the “pandemic” on the mental, emotional, and physical health of children; and
How conservatives can connect and communicate with each other without fear of retaliation.

Recorded October 29, 2020

The MoCo Conservative Podcast Episode 4: Guest Beth Lawson discusses the “dual pandemic” of masks and marxism.

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Special guest speaker Beth Lawson of Howard County, Maryland joined us for our podcast today and we discussed the following topics:

Following science and not propaganda;
The “dual pandemic” of mask and marxist indoctrination; and
How to recognize when negative and positive semantics are being used in conversation and messaging.

Recorded October 25, 2020

The MoCo Conservative Podcast Episode 3: Guest Eleanor Jones discusses Howard County, the #WalkAway movement, and special needs education

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Special guest speaker Eleanor Jones joined us for our podcast today and we discussed the following topics:

How Howard County, MD politics mirror that of Montgomery County, MD;
The #WalkAway movement and its impact on the state and national level; and
Her experience raising a special needs child during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Eleanor Jones is State Lead Moderator for the Maryland chapter of the #WalkAway movement. She is a parent of a special needs child and lives in Howard County, Maryland.

Recorded October 21, 2020

Response To MoCo Council Member Hucker: Why Do You Want More Police Deaths?

From A Former Law Enforcement Officer in Montgomery County, Maryland.

Now-deleted Tweet from Montgomery County, MD Council Member Tom Hucker

Tom,

I hope you really did not tweet that there should be “justice” for the family of Berhe? If you did, shame on you.

The call went out as a burglary in progress and the subject was armed with a knife. How the heck is a social worker supposed to handle that? Even if the call was merely a mentally ill person brandishing a knife, no mobile crisis team, psychologist, or psychiatrist would dare go near the scene until it was rendered safe and secure.

Even on those mental health calls where there is a potential for violence and the Mobile Crisis Team is responding, they will have the officers there as back ups. They cannot confront violent and armed people in a non-controlled environment.

Officers must live with their split second decisions. They have to decide in mere fractions of a second how to react to a deadly threat. That difference means the ability to go home in one piece to your family or suffer life changing injuries or death. Likewise, failure of the officer to take action with an armed, emotionally disturbed individual creates a danger to the community members as well.

I personally know this officer, as well as others who have had to use deadly force to protect themselves and the community. Several never recovered from the trauma of taking a human life and had to leave the department. Universally, those officers are forever changed. I have never met a police officer yet that thought, “Tonight I am going to kill someone.” In fact, the opposite is true.

I have seen my share, me included, of those who did some dangerous and stupid things to avoid shooting someone despite the deadly threat. But, when that trigger is pulled and it is a justifiable shooting, the community should be there to support the officer, not to second guess them. That includes the elected officials that have an obligation to know the facts and circumstances and educate themselves on the realities of police use of force.

Having the council members not recognize that the actions of the officer are also predicated on the actions of the assailant and shift blame to the system, the officer, training, or lack of a 24/7, fully staffed crisis team does a disservice to every officer out there. It is unrealistic and just plain foolish to believe that mental health professionals will be the panacea to fix the problem.

The problem with dealing with the mentally ill goes far beyond community crisis team response. Our mental health system has been insurance driven for 40 years. We went from almost 4,000 beds at Springfield State Hospital to less than 300. Hospitalization is a joke. They stabilize them and kick them out because that is all insurance carriers will pay for. I could speak for hours regarding the mental health systems in place or lacking. I will leave that to a later discussion.

The fact is out of the nearly 1 million law enforcement officers serving today and the millions of contacts and arrests made, the numbers of people shot by officers every year has remained constant for decades or decreased despite huge increases in population. The Montgomery County Police Department provides some of the best training in Crisis Intervention. I was one of the first to go through the training. Now, all MCPD officers must complete the 40 hour course in crisis intervention.

In this case, honestly tell me that if a knife wielding individual attacked you and you were a police officer that you would not protect yourself. Tell me you would take one for the team and hope your family could do without you. If you say you would not have fired, I challenge you to do some shoot don’t shoot scenarios. Many people change their opinion after experiencing that training. And, that is still make believe where they know they are not going to get hurt.

References:

Main photograph credit: Associated Press

Opinion: COVID-19 Forced Me To Accept Public Education’s Tremendous Failures

From An Anonymous Educator In Virginia.

On the “upside” of COVID-19…

After six weeks or so of anguishing over my son’s decision to attend a private school to complete his senior year of high school, I have come to realize there is finally something positive from COVID-19. Having had an excellent public education, I actually thought my children would have the same. COVID-19 finally made me accept just how badly the public school system is failing U.S. students and most educators.

After years of hating school, my spectrum son began to find his niche in secondary school. While not a social kid, he loved all of his high school teachers, especially his language and theatre teachers. Beginning in eighth grade, my son would only teasingly joke about not wanting to attend school in the morning, but would come home happy with funny stories to share at the dinner table. I thought:

“Well, maybe the public education system cannot be too bad if my son is happy.”
What I used to think.

Between subbing for 11 years in my son’s school district and the appearance of COVID-19, I had to finally accept the reality:

Public education is a tremendous failure.

While there are many gifted educators, the curriculum is purely politically motivated and created to “dummy down” the students who do not have the motivation to succeed on their own.

Common core mathematics not only encourages failure but deters students from pursuing STEM degrees. Even accomplished mathematicians and nuclear physicists have admitted if they were in school today they would hate math. Children do not read classic or historical literature; they read books that explain their feelings, gender identities, and racial perplexities that only confuse them and encourage divisiveness (but that is a post for another time). Computers and calculators are the norm in public classrooms to insure students are adept at taking on line standardized testing. Beginning in first grade, three letters students and teachers alike hate, “SOL’s” (Standards of Learning).

Forget about actually learning, it is all about teaching to the test. Students are not pushed to work the most important muscle of the human body for creating, researching, and communicating – the brain.

Thank you to the Chinese Communist Party for COVID-19, as I finally accepted the reality of the failing U.S. public education system. My son chose in August to transfer to a private school providing in-person classes. As we discussed the curriculum, I knew if my son chose to pursue his full potential he would do amazingly well in the private school he chose to attend. He had to admit the school seemed to offer him more academically than his public secondary school. A tremendous choice for a boy who does not like transitions or school work.

No computers, no calculators, no cell phones, no multiple choice tests, no cursing, uniforms for all, manners a must, and the worst of all, only respectful dialogue allowed! In other words, be open to different opinions without verbally attacking another student and instead present facts why you disagree. Classical education that teaches all aspects of history; history that parallels the literature students read and write about in class. Yes, they actually write their answers (which must be neat and legible). Grammar, punctuation, and spelling are also graded, which is almost unheard of in our public school system. In public schools there is a grading rubric for just about everything. If spelling, grammar, and punctuation are not listed on that rubric, then a teacher may not grade on those concepts. Gosh forbid you offend anyone who does not have the desire to learn proper grammar skills. As someone who has lived overseas, I can tell you firsthand their school systems do not dummy down their language arts or any part of the curriculum for anyone.

Granted, class sizes are much smaller than in Fairfax County Public Schools. Instead of 25 to 30 students in tight spaces, my son’s new school has class sizes of 5 to 10. The private school has kept the in-person sizes small to meet social distancing requirements. The school also has students who are virtually attending the classes as some live overseas or local families were not ready for their children to return to “brick and mortar.” The smaller class sizes truly do make a tremendously positive difference for teaching and learning.

Another bonus for private school educators: there are consequences for disruptive students. Not only may the disruptive child be immediately sent to the headmaster, if the bad behavior is not corrected the parents are called to retrieve their child. Teachers instruct and students learn without the constant disruptive behavior.

Unlike public schools, private school parents actually have to take responsibility for their children’s poor behavior.

There was a time when this was the same expectation in public schools but no more. Parents threaten to sue if a teacher hurts a student’s feelings:

“How dare you expect my child to be quiet during class. The audacity!”

Imagine what could be accomplished in the public schools with:

smaller class sizes;
classical education instead of ideological indoctrination; and
creative, critical and cognitive curriculum for all students.

Not to mention behavioral expectations that parents must reinforce at home. Instead, politicians, academia, and unions use the public schools as their personal platforms to encourage divisiveness among the masses while promoting ideological agendas. They do not care about what is best for students or educators, only what will insure their power and influence. Sadly, most public school teachers fall for the ideological agendas or fear for their jobs if they rebel instead of standing up to those who continually dummy down public school curriculum.

The answers are easy for change: replace the Prussian education model controlled by power-driven ideologues with a system that promotes open and respectful discourse; cognitive, critical and creative thinking; all history (ancient and modern); and common sense mathematics.

While the failures of the U.S. public education system have been obvious for decades, thanks to COVID-19, I accept fault for not sooner accepting the truth.

References:

Main graphic: https://modernalternativemama.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/03/Why-the-Public-School-System-is-a-Failure-2.jpg
https://newspunch.com/top-scholar-says-common-core-math-is-making-our-children-really-dumb/
One of many articles on the failures of common core math: https://www.educationviews.org/engineer-explains-common-core-math-disaster/
https://storage.googleapis.com/classcraft-1188.appspot.com/uploads/2019/04/0f26a1b8-blog-feature_2019-04-19.jpg

MCPS Educators To White Parents: Your Child Is Racist

From An Anonymous Parent in Montgomery County, Maryland.

Here is proof that Montgomery County, Maryland Public Schools (MCPS) is teaching children as young as pre-K that White people are inherently racist. The following materials are being used to help teachers indoctrinate our children into becoming marxist, anti-White foot soldiers to help herald in a new era of radical, government-sanctioned ideology.

MCPS PowerPoint slide for teachers, including notes on how to start the “discussion of race” with children from birth.

Let’s start with the first hyperlink, which is also this post’s main graphic. As you can see, based on a short, paraphrased blurb from a single study, it has been understood by the makers of this sheet that, “[W]hite children remain strongly biased in favor of whiteness.”

The Children’s Community School of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania made a graphic using paraphrased and falsified language from one study, and now MCPS is utilizing it for their own curriculum. What do we know about the Children’s Community School?

Their commitment to social justice is prevalent throughout their website, and I think they falsely paraphrased a scientific study in the hopes of creating an echo chamber within the education/indoctrination system. Take a look at the study’s summary:

Challenging the view that implicit social cognition emerges from protracted social learning, research now suggests that intergroup preferences are present at adultlike levels in early childhood. Specifically, the pattern of developmental emergence of implicit attitudes is characterized by (i) rapidly emerging implicit preferences for ingroups and dominant groups and (ii) stability of these preferences across development. Together these findings demonstrate that implicit intergroup preferences follow a developmental course distinct from explicit intergroup preferences. In addition these results cast doubt on ‘slow-learning’ models of implicit social cognition according to which children should converge on adult forms of social cognition only as statistical regularities are internalized over a lengthy period of development.
Dunham et al, 2008.

Did you understand that the first time reading through it? I’m more interested in learning why and how a pre-school educator is able to decipher this cognitive study, concisely paraphrase it, and provide an inaccurate description of what the study is actually about…unless she (or he) had some help.

From the same MCPS PowerPoint slide titled, “Teacher Notes,” I have learned that the book, Antiracist Baby, is being used to further divide people by their race:

MCPS provided this guide from Ibram X. Kendi for caregivers and parents “to begin explicit conversations about race and racism with our children from a young age.”

And now we have the slide below, which is clearly showing that children enrolled in pre-Kindergarten, Kindergarten, First Grade, and Second Grade do not belong in a classroom where they are nurtured to grow and become successful, intelligent, and good adults in society–no, they belong out in the streets, protesting against the Bad Orange Man and his evil, racist ways!

From a PowerPoint presentation for teachers of children in levels Pre-K, K, 1, and 2.

Below are the notes for teachers in the PowerPoint slide, providing scripts for discussing the purpose of what the MCPS school system considers social justice in today’s society:

Sample Script Pre-k-K:

“Let’s talk about why Black and brown people are treated
unfairly. Here is a book about why that happens. Let’s watch and listen.”

Watch the video

Sample Script: “The book talks about racism. What did the
author say about racism?”

(Racism definition from video: When people believe that
having different color skin means you aren’t as good as others.)

Say, “People who don’t think it is fair to treat people
differently based on their skin color work for “Social Justice.”

“Social Justice is believing that all people have equal
rights, no matter their race or background, and doing actions to change rules or systems that cause some people to be treated unfairly.

There are protests happening all over our country and the
world because people are acting on their beliefs that all people should be treated fairly and are protesting to change things that make life harder for some people.”

Hyperlinked video (“A Kid’s Book about Racism”): https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LnaltG5N8nE&t=2s

Sample Script 1st-2nd:

Watch the video

“The book talks about racism. What did the author say
about racism?” (The book stated that some people get more and
some people get less because policies don’t always give equal access. Racism is when people create policies or rules that are not fair to everyone because of their skin color.)

Say, “People who don’t think it is fair to treat people
differently based on their skin color work for “Social Justice”.

“Social Justice is believing that all people have equal
rights, no matter their race or background, and doing actions to change rules or systems that cause some people to be treated unfairly.

There are protests happening all over our country and the
world because people are acting on their beliefs that all people should be treated fairly and are protesting to change things that make life harder for some people.”

Hyperlinked video (“Antiracist Baby”):
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Qw3DjP7HSts

To parents who want their children to learn reading, writing, arithmetic, and kindness in their formative years, this social justice agenda is being shoved down the throats of your impressionable, innocent, young children. Ask yourself:

1. Are you willing to take the chance and not have a say in what your child is being “taught,” or better yet, what your child is being indoctrinated with?

2. Do you want your child to immediately start judging people by the color of their skin before even speaking to them?

3. Do you want your child to consider every thing they read, and every person they speak to, through the lens of what that person looks like and their race, instead of how they act and treat them?

4. Are you comfortable with having your child labeled as inherently racist because of the color of their skin?

5. Have you considered why this is being done to your children at such a young age?

References:

Opinion: Why I’m Leaving Maryland

From Anonymous In Maryland.

It wouldn’t do any good to try to wake people up; the socialists don’t care. Their goal is to destroy and redistribute wealth. The voters of this County get what they vote for. I hope to move from this County shortly, since most of my children have left already.

I realize the futility in attempting to educate those ignorant in their own subjugation. They vote for handouts and freebies with no regard for the future, and the “elected representatives” continue to pander to them with dwindling funds. They will endure a day of reckoning and at that point they will merely move on to another wealthy area. It’s easily followed as the only counties in this state losing tax payers are the sanctuary counties- same as in Virginia.

This last election told me that those leaving are the Republicans and conservatives, as the Democrats easily won their races; the voters didn’t turn up because they simply no longer lived there or were leaving prior to the election.

Maryland is the absolute worst state to retire in. If it weren’t for the first responder’s exemption, I would have already moved. I don’t view Maryland as a changeable state. It’s been corrupt for generations and not likely to change. The populous are too ignorant or lazy to realize what it is they are voting for; honestly, I was surprised when Hogan won twice.

When you consider approximately 90,000 tax payers fled Baltimore, and the “government” was willing to fill those Democrat-owned apartment buildings with illegals, you realize that it’s all about the money, and it always will be.

Personally, I don’t think Maryland is worth the effort.

References:

How To Kill Cancel Culture

From Anonymous in Maryland.

This article will explore my theory on how cancel culture’s ultimate goal is that of a civil war in the United States, and how certain spending habits of Americans, particularly involving firearms, will help determine the outcome.

I’ve always started papers and articles with a specific quote in mind. For this particular topic, the quote comes easily:

“Force always attracts men of low morality.”
Albert Einstein

We live in an age of technological advancement that is not only rapidly advancing our quality of life, but is also rapidly deteriorating our peace of mind. As a certain three-star General once stated, “[w]e live in a digital battlefield.”

Going on Twitter and, to a lesser degree, Facebook, you can clearly see that humanity is already at war in a battle hosted by servers, where the opposition (a small but loud and dangerous army) is aided by tyrants like Zuckerberg (Facebook) and Dorsey (Twitter), who brazenly carry an unlimited supply of artillery and ammunition (e.g., angry liberals, bots, shadow banning, blacklisting, blocking, suppression algorithms, etc.).

Digital warriors consist of conservative-leaning individuals who fight against left-leaning radicals online with memes and rhetoric intentionally mischaracterized by the Left as “divisive.” Both sides are pawns in the clash of ideas and morals; where one side’s sole intent is on damaging a person’s livelihood no matter the cost, the other side is fighting a behemoth of rage and idiocy funded by billionaires with a twisted agenda.

This is cancel culture.

Where just one “errant” or unpopular opinion psychologically triggers the snowflake social justice warriors and causes an avalanche of action to destroy reputations, families, and livelihoods, causing irreparable damage to those without job protection.

This is not, in the general sense, about scaring people with job protection; it’s about scaring those who don’t have a stable platform for speaking their mind and going against mob mentality.

Cancel culture is, at first glance, an exercise of power to prevent the open debate of ideas. But I see its goal as more violently oppressive.

Journalist Jonathan Rauch recently created a “Cancel Culture Checklist” containing six warning signs explaining how to determine if you are an impending victim of cancel culture. The warning signs include: punitiveness, deplatforming, organization, secondary boycotts, moral grandstanding, and truthiness. It’s a good read for those who wish to learn more about specific actions being taken against those who refuse to adhere to the tenets set forth by the marxist mob of the Democrat party.

Below are the different phases of how cancel culture’s movement and its operatives work, based on my observations and research:

Create politically progressive coalitions and other entities with innocent, feel-good sounding names;
Strategize on plans of action to eliminate the “threat” of conservative thought;
Initiate social media flood, accrue followers, and get people angry via emotional manipulation;
Start boycotting products that “support conservative thought” and that contribute to any political campaign not endorsed by the DNC;
Utilize sleeper cells in all institutions to shove the same agenda down the throat of every student, customer, and viewer to increase reach;
Force defectors to apologize in order to create a feeling of shame for others who wish to do the same;
Dox and “swat” famous and well-known conservatives as a tool to prevent naturally-occurring, and at this point, increasing defection;
Slowly and consistently introduce radical, marxist ideas that your loyal followers must now obey in order to remain compliant and in the “popular” clique; this includes sanctioning murder of those who disagree with you;
Take the agenda out in the streets when an event (staged or not, but usually with a preventable casualty) provides the perfect opportunity to further divide based on issue/label of the day;
Encourage destruction of property, looting, arson;
Encourage violence against people who do not look like you (aka white people) and who wear the American flag on their hat, shirt, shorts, jacket, etc.;
Mobilize your army of foaming-at-the-mouth, cash-strapped anarchists and send them to the suburbs;
Declare war on anyone who lives in the suburbs, no matter what their political affiliation, because they are all selfish and evil; and
Stage a physical, tangible war between law abiding citizens and brainwashed, paid, and “zombified” communists of the Democrat party.

I believe we are currently, as a nation, somewhere between numbers 11/12 and 12/13 (depending where you live). Before we go into what needs to happen to get to the last two, however, let’s take a step back and talk about the types of behavior that allow cancel culture to flourish in our society.

The types of behavior that allow cancel culture to permeate in our society:

Apologetic/no backbone. When someone in the public eye takes a stand on an issue and provides a counter argument to the ideas put forth by the leaders of the radical, progressive Left, they are usually pressured to issue a public apology. When the apology is made public and shared, the Left has once again controlled opposition through their cancel culture agenda. So, what happens when that person does NOT apologize? Apart from clearly becoming persona non grata, something shifts in the narrative; since the Left can no longer control the individual, they employ tactics to make sure that the resistance to their ideals does not reach many people. Since they control the news and social media (to a certain extent), this is easy to do.
False sense of moral superiority. How many times have conservatives heard that we are selfish for putting our needs and our children’s needs above other’s needs? How many times have conservatives and to a lesser extent, moderate liberals, been told they need to “check their privilege”? The Left strategically brainwashes its loyal followers to believe that what they are espousing, the public shaming they are doing, is for “the greater good” of humanity. Don’t have kids! It’s bad for the environment. Don’t start learning pods! Your kids will have a higher chance to succeed later in life than others. Don’t go outside with your mask off! You can kill someone. The list is never-ending.
Overly emotional. Leftist liberals are the most hyper emotional people I have ever met. They rely on their emotions to guide their decision-making skills, thereby prioritizing goals and actions that make them feel good, instead of focusing on long-term, realistic, and pragmatic solutions that will do good. Is there a middle ground? Absolutely! But not for the cancel culture mob, which brings us to #4.
Refusal to compromise. Time and time again, the cancel culture mob’s devoted followers have stated that they refuse to listen to the “other side” and refuse to compromise. This means that it’s basically their way or the “highway.” No wonder they sound like they’re little children throwing a tantrum- would you teach your children to never compromise? I didn’t think so.

Will the suburbanites fight back?

At this point, I am confident that we can follow specific consumer spending trends of American citizens to find a solution/deterrent to cancel culture’s ultimate goal of instigating a civil war.

There is no doubt in my mind, and in the minds of millions of first-time gun owners, that there is a shift happening based on the number of firearm-related purchases by law-abiding citizens.

War is (almost) here, and it will only be a matter of time before suburbia starts experiencing the effects of “peaceful protests” that end in the destruction of apartment buildings, town homes, and single-family homes. These violent and aggressive mobs get organized on multiple online platforms; platforms that allow this to happen:

More than 2 million new gun owners were reported in the first half of 2020.

In case you weren’t paying attention, that is a HUGE number. You can clearly identify consumer spending habits with how safe a consumer is feeling at that time. Based on the number of gun sales alone within such a short time frame, it’s clear that personal, physical safety is being prioritized by many citizens living in the cities and suburbs.

“Gun sales have skyrocketed during the past three months, and a record-breaking 80.2 percent increase in sales was reported in May compared to last year, according to the shooting foundation. April’s data showed a 71.3 percent increase from 2019, and there was an 85.3 percent increase in March, according to information previously released by Small Arms Analytics and Forecasting.”
Fox Business News, June 4, 2020

Here’s another fun number to look at, this time from the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI):

“The spark in investor interest came after the FBI reported that there were more than 3 million background checks last month, the highest for any May on record.”
USA Today, June 3, 2020

So, what is the point of showing you this data? It’s clear that more and more people are preparing to have to defend themselves, their families, their homes, and their businesses.

Firearms are the most effective threat deterrent.

You will kill cancel culture’s main, long-term goal of destroying and wreaking havoc on suburbia when you: legally buy at least one firearm (per adult); learn how to use that firearm; and practice self-defense techniques (with a trained professional) that will help you and your family stay safe and eventually escape from immediate danger when (not if) the mob comes for your community.

P.S. Did you think that I would tell you to “fight back” with words and feelings? We are way past that stage, don’t you think?

References:

Candidate To Watch: Steve Solomon (Board of Education)

Steve Solomon is a candidate for the Montgomery County, Maryland Board of Education, District 4 seat.

My name is Steve Solomon, and I am a candidate for Montgomery County Board of Education – District 4.

I wanted to thank The MoCo Conservative for allowing me to write something and reach more voters of Montgomery County. I hope to tell you a little more about me, why I’m running for Board of Education, and what issues I think are important.

I’m a lifelong resident of Montgomery County. I’ve spent my career in the radio and podcasting business, but I’ve always wanted to help my community in some way. One of the radio shows I did early in my career was a Public Affairs show, where I learned how important local government was. I met many local officials and saw the impact that they could have on the everyday lives of our residents, so I thought that one day that would be something I would like to do.

I believe we have great schools in Montgomery County, and I want to be a Board of Education member so that I can make sure we continue to have great schools, and avoid any bad decisions that might be made. Although I have no elected experience, I believe that voters want a candidate who will tell you what they really think, and work hard once they are in office.

Some of the issues that I believe in are:

A need for more vocational and technical programs. We currently only have one high school (Edison) that has programs designed to teach kids to be plumbers, carpenters, or electricians. These are good paying jobs that can be found right here in Montgomery County. We need to better prepare our kids for the real world, and I believe that vocational programs are a great way to do that.
Retaining our best teachers. Did you know that nearly half of new teachers in Montgomery County don’t last past their third year? That much turnover is not the way to ensure success for kids. Teachers need to be able to find their own niche, get mentored by older teachers, and not be suffocated by the bureaucracy above them.
We will need to rethink how we spend money in Montgomery County overall and in our schools. We will not see the full economic results of COVID-19 for several years. Tough decisions will need to be made and a cost/benefit analysis of more budget items will need to be conducted.

A lot of attention this election is focused nationally, but it’s the local elections that have an impact on people’s lives in many other ways.

That’s why I need help spreading the word before this November. Most Montgomery County residents have no idea who the Board of Education members are. Campaigning and raising money are always tough, but especially in these times.

I ask that you visit my website www.VoteSteveSolomon.com to learn more about me, the issues I believe in, and if you can, please donate to the campaign. Money means everything in smaller races like this one. It allows me to buy some advertising and reach more Montgomery County voters. The most important thing that you can do is tell a friend. Most people are not committed to a Board of Education candidate, but if they hear from a friend, family member, or neighbor, that would really help.

Thank you, and please feel free to contact me with any questions or comments at VoteSteveSolomon@gmail.com.

Steve Solomon

A New Secular Religion: Marxism, Soros & Takoma Park

From a Concerned Citizen in Montgomery County, Maryland.

Throughout history, the world has experienced the practical application of many philosophical theories. From the beginning, mankind has sought to worship various forms of these theories, turning these theories into religions and gods.

In 1848, a German man by the name of Karl Marx gave birth to a document known as the Communist Manifesto. The ideas and theories of Marx became known as Marxism, which were later interpreted into practice and became Communism.

It was Karl Marx’s objective to dethrone God and destroy Capitalism.

Marx upended the definitions of good and evil to mean that the church and family presented obstacles to utopia. The concept of sin changed, from rebellion against God into striving for individual ends opposed to the collective. The institution of property rights represented original sin. The end goal of Communism replaced the Garden of Eden. The new utopia was heaven.

This view, especially under the funding of billionaire Marxist, George Soros, has been absorbed by academia, media, the entertainment industry, and many in government. They promote cultural Marxism in the form of political correctness. Everyone is equal. The reality is, the Bible speaks of God’s justice as measured by adherence to God’s standards, not by shifting goals of secular academics.

No where in scripture does it task government with equalization of wealth. The bible requires work, frugal living, and honest dealings. It mandates impartial justice, sound money management, and property rights. It also endorses liberty and limited government, all essential elements of capitalism.

In a recent television interview, U.S. Attorney General William Barr was asked about Antifa, the black lives matter (BLM) movement, civil unrest, and the media. He began by saying politics has fundamentally changed; where once we were able to have discussion and debate and then vote, it has been replaced by one side’s desire to tear down the system with no compromise.

Mr. Barr said this revolutionary movement has become a new secular religion.

It has become a political pilgrimage to create a progressive utopia.

Barr went on to compare this revolutionary movement to Marxism. During the interview, a June 12, 2020 report published by the Soeren Kern Gatestone Institute was quoted:

“Empirical and anecdotal evidence shows that Antifa is, in fact, highly networked, well-funded, and has a global presence. It has a flat organizational structure with dozens and possibly hundreds of local groups. Antifa’s stated long-term objective, both in America and abroad, is to establish a communist world order. In the United States, Antifa’s immediate aim is to bring about the demise of the Trump administration.”

From day one of President Trump’s administration, radical leftists have made it their goal to shred the norms of the system. BLM is also focused on bringing down this administration. Why?

They desire POWER and want to run the lives of everyone. This lust for power has become their new religion. The urban guerrilla warfare currently taking place in America is Antifa and BLM shielding themselves under the protections afforded to them in the 1^st amendment. They hijack these so-called “peaceful” demonstrations and are highly organized in creating riots and civil anarchy. The media does not fully cover these riots because they are funded by billionaire Marxist and globalist, George Soros.

So, who is George Soros? Forbes has listed him as the 46^th richest individual in the country with a net worth of 22 billion dollars. Soros has funded pro-abortion, pro-illegal immigration, pro-national health care, pro-drug legalization, pro-big government, anti-Israel, and anti-America movements. He has direct ties to over 30 main stream media outlets, including the New York Times, Washington Post, Associated Press, CNN, NPR, and ABC. Each of these operations have high-level employees on the Boards of Soros-funded media operations. Soros’ contributions have secured ownership of politicians and have funded Antifa. Many leftist politicians refuse to condemn the anarchy and riots taking place in our country because their very own campaigns are being funded in part by George Soros.

Consequently, Soros is accomplishing his Marxist goal of dismantling America through the use of riots and his manipulation of racism and open anarchy.

BIG MEDIA was born with Soros money.

George Soros discovered he had enough money and know-how to buy options in floundering publishers and individual reporters. He controls the narrative used by the media, which in turn controls the Democrat party and prevents Americans from hearing the truth. Democrats don’t talk about big media because they are the ones who benefit from it. Each of the most influential big media outlets, with the exception of Fox, are campaigning for far-left causes and radical, liberal candidates.

The deep state is not a conspiracy theory. The corruption within the FBI, CIA, IRS, Congress, and NSA is real and openly evident.

Justice is a word of the past. The Left’s lust for power places them into the category of Marxist. Sadly, most Americans are too naïve and have accepted the narrative of the media without fully understanding who is creating and funding the narrative. I can only pray Americans will learn to think for themselves and understand how they are being deceived by the narrative.

The November election will shape the direction of America and the world. If Biden is elected it may well be the last president America will see.

The shadow government and deep state will have achieved victory. Our form of government may become history, replaced by the Marxist agenda of Communism. Please, America, wake up. We are one election away from losing the freedoms we have taken for granted. Everything is on the line.

Sadly, on our local Montgomery County, Maryland level we have a Marxist in power as County Executive (Marc Elrich) and a surrounding cast of cronies who live in and support the Marxist agenda of Takoma Park. Your vote to create nine districts is a vote to end this Takoma Park control.

References:

The Power of Prayer: My Adoption Story

Mr. Thomas Black lives in Leesburg, Virginia.

On Friday, April 7, 2017, my wife and I received a call from the Department of Family Services in Virginia informing us that there were three children – ages 5, 7, and 9 – who needed a safe home. We were visiting family when we received the call, but knew God desired us to head back to Northern Virginia to show His love to these children. In an instant, Christ led us from being DINKs (“Double Income No Kids”) to a single income family with three youngsters. One week later, we found out my wife, Lauren, was one month pregnant – taking us from zero to four children in eight months.

This is the story of my relationship with Jesus Christ and how the power of prayer brought us through it all.

I was blessed to grow up with a mother and a father who would come to be defined by their love for God, their love for each other, and their love for my sister and me. In many ways, our family could accurately be described as a 1990’s version of the 1950’s sitcom, Leave it to Beaver. Church was a staple of our family, as was prayer, Bible study, and Christian music. Unfortunately, as the years went by, Christianity began to feel like a mirage. Rather than experiencing a deep and peaceful relationship with the Creator and Savior – a relationship others seemed to enjoy – I could only watch and wonder. Week after week, knowing something wasn’t right, I was determined to try harder. I was convinced, if I rededicated myself to the Christian ethic, and became more disciplined in my study of the Bible, I could finally experience the love and security of a right relationship with God. This effort was just a feeble attempt to drink the waters of the mirage, and left me as unsatisfied as a mouthful of sand in the desert.

Finally, when I was 13 years old, I realized that I did not understand Biblical Christianity when I previously had asked Jesus into my heart. My definition of Christianity was an expressed attempt to deflect the punishment for my imperfections, while still maintaining control of my life. I had misinterpreted that Christianity was a relationship with God, through Jesus alone, where the teachings of Jesus took full control of your life.

Christianity, I learned since then, is a relationship between a child and their father. The child, formerly orphaned, now lovingly submits to their Father; while the Father adopts the child and exercises perfect love, authority, and forgiveness. As this truth became evident to me, I not only recognized my need for forgiveness of sin, but became overwhelmed by my desire for a relationship with God, bound by the covenant of perfect and eternal affection. Upon experiencing this relationship, and maturing over the years of following Christ, I began to read the Bible and pray with greater frequency and passion – akin to a child longing to spend time with their dad.

Eventually, God brought along Lauren, a brilliant, compassionate, and beautiful woman who would later give me the honor of calling her my bride. As we began spending time together, dedicating ourselves to prayer and the instruction of our Father, we grew to have a heavy heart for children who were in need of loving parents (James 1:27). For months, we prayed together while meditating on scripture, and eventually God made it clear to us that He wanted us to follow Him into foster care.

This led to the most joyful, difficult, and heart-wrenching times in our marriage.

Prayer has been the lifeline of our journey following Christ, but most especially when we got the call from the Department of Family Services. Immediately, we prayed for God’s direction and providence. In many ways, we were ill-equipped to be parents (aren’t we all?). We were less than half way through our foster parent training, and still needed to purchase basic necessities, such as clothes, beds, toiletries, dressers, toys, etc. Nevertheless, God gave us direction, and we told the county we’d be there as soon as possible. During our drive home from Williamsburg, we prayed and tried to make others aware of our situation. Although both of our families lived over 10 hours away, God supplied all of our material needs through our local church; when we arrived home, the first floor of our town home was covered with the necessities to begin our journey as parents.

Throughout the following years, we experienced some of the most difficult days of our lives, and when we felt that we had nothing left of ourselves, we found God’s strength to be sufficient (2 Corinthians 12:9).

Today, we are the proud parents of five beautiful children.

We finalized the adoption of our oldest three in November 2019 and Lauren gave birth to our fifth on February 18, 2020. Time and discretion will not permit me to explain how God has answered our prayers and miraculously healed our oldest children, allowing them to make sense of the injustices they’ve experienced; nor will it allow me to express how God proved Himself to be the perfect and faithful Father He always promised us He would be. Therefore, let it prove sufficient to conclude, my relationship with Christ and experience with prayer is best summarized by this declaration: God, my Father, makes many promises – and He keeps them all!