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Saturday, July 26, 2025

26: Pakistan

The Protocol of Greatness (novel)
A Reorganized UN: Built From Ground Up
The Drum Report: Markets, Tariffs, and the Man in the Basement (novel)
World War III Is Unnecessary
Grounded Greatness: The Case For Smart Surface Transit In Future Cities
The Garden Of Last Debates (novel)
Deported (novel)
Empty Country (novel)
Trump’s Default: The Mist Of Empire (novel)

The 20% Growth Revolution: Nepal’s Path to Prosperity Through Kalkiism
Rethinking Trade: A Blueprint for a Just and Thriving Global Economy
The $500 Billion Pivot: How the India-US Alliance Can Reshape Global Trade
Trump’s Trade War
Peace For Taiwan Is Possible
Formula For Peace In Ukraine
A 2T Cut
Are We Frozen in Time?: Tech Progress, Social Stagnation
The Last Age of War, The First Age of Peace: Lord Kalki, Prophecies, and the Path to Global Redemption
AOC 2028: : The Future of American Progressivism

East Berlin, 26 December 1964. Note the street nameplate. I post photographs taken on my many Berlin visits in the 1950s and 1960s. 180 unique historic street images of East and West Berlin are in my book "Berlin in the Cold War" (Amberley Publishing). #Berlin #DDR #GDR pic.twitter.com/xHgkvPqXlQ
— Allan Hailstone (not Alan) (@allhailtwit) July 26, 2025

A plane with a banner reading “Trump and Bondi are protecting predators” was flown over a federal courthouse in Tallahassee, Florida.

Follow: @AFpost pic.twitter.com/VggWMcoZ1a
— AF Post (@AFpost) July 26, 2025

The India-Pakistan Clash and the Credit Tug-of-War: What Really Mattered Was Peace

The India-Pakistan Clash and the Credit Tug-of-War: What Really Mattered Was Peace

In a world often driven by optics, credit, and headlines, the recent India-Pakistan military flare-up offers a refreshing lesson in restraint, realism, and diplomacy—however messy or misattributed. While talking heads scramble to assign accolades for de-escalation, the facts on the ground tell a different story. The real victory here is that two nuclear powers walked back from the brink—and that should command more attention than who gets to plant their flag on the peace podium.

The Timeline Nobody Disputes

Let’s lay out the uncontested sequence of events:

The Pahalgam Attack and Muneer’s Kashmir Comments
Only weeks before the Pahalgam terror attack, Muneer—a top Pakistani official—delivered a fiery speech in Queens, New York, signaling renewed Pakistani focus on Kashmir. This wasn’t a rogue actor speaking off-script; it was a calibrated message to the diaspora and a signal to India.
Terror Group Tied to ISI
The organization that claimed responsibility for the Pahalgam attack is a familiar name in South Asia: a known offshoot of groups historically backed by Pakistan’s Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI) and its military. There's deception, sure—but not deniability. This wasn’t some fringe actor. It was part of a long pattern of plausible deniability turned implausible.
India’s Limited First Strike
India’s military response was swift but precise. The airstrikes on terror camps were declared as limited, surgical, and designed to be final. India was not spoiling for a prolonged conflict—it wanted to demonstrate deterrence and move on.
Pakistan’s Military Response
But Islamabad responded with a counterstrike. The conflict escalated. Yet Western satellite imagery showing damage to Pakistani airbases—later confirmed by publications like The New York Times—quietly reinforced that India’s message had been received loud and clear.
The US Stays Neutral—but Watchfully So
Vice President JD Vance stated the administration’s position unambiguously: “This is none of our business.” It was a signal that the US would not get militarily involved, yet not without sympathies. India has a right to defend itself, he said, and the US would not obstruct that.
Pakistan Turns to Washington—India Deflects
As the heat rose, Islamabad reached out to Washington. The US reached out to India. New Delhi’s response was mature and telling: "Let Pakistan’s Director General of Military Operations speak directly to ours." This was India signaling bilateralism—no need for external brokers. No mediation. Just responsibility.
India Accepts the Ceasefire—Because It Wanted One All Along
When a ceasefire was proposed, India agreed. But this wasn’t a climb-down. India’s objective had been to hit terror camps and halt further violence. Once that was achieved, de-escalation was the preferred outcome.
Nuclear Common Sense
Both India and Pakistan are nuclear powers. Escalation isn’t just risky—it’s catastrophic. India’s measured response and swift agreement to a ceasefire reaffirmed the value of strategic clarity and proportionality.

Trump’s Role: Bombast Meets Quiet Utility

President Donald Trump, now once again center stage in global affairs, signed a “big, beautiful” peace resolution in the aftermath. Whether or not he was pivotal behind closed doors is a question for the historians. But in the present, his flamboyant style may have added theatrical cover for all parties to save face. If he played a role—good. If he played a major role—better still.

Because if Trump can also play a role in Gaza and Ukraine, then his bluster might just be the packaging for real-world results. And in geopolitics, where perception often becomes policy, that matters.

America’s Place in the World: Still Exceptional

Regardless of administration, the U.S. president holds unique power in global diplomacy—not merely through military might, but through narrative, mediation, and perception. While the U.S. may not have directly brokered the de-escalation between India and Pakistan, its stance helped shape the space in which restraint prevailed. That’s influence. That’s leverage.

Credit? Who Cares. Peace Matters.

Yes, there’s a race to claim credit. Pakistan wants to show it deterred Indian aggression. India wants to show it punished terror. The U.S. wants to show it kept the peace. Trump wants to say he saved the world—again.

But what matters is this:

There was a deadly terror attack.
There was a limited military retaliation.
There was the threat of escalation.
There was adult diplomacy.
And now, there is peace.

Let everyone take as much credit as they want. Let history write footnotes for every tweet and photo-op. The true credit belongs to sanity prevailing. And in a region that has suffered far too long from bloodshed, that’s no small miracle.

Bottom Line:
This wasn’t a moment of heroic singularity. It was a mosaic of intelligence, restraint, diplomatic maneuvering, and maybe even a touch of opportunistic grandstanding. But it worked. And that’s worth far more than headlines.

भारत-पाकिस्तान संघर्ष और श्रेय की खींचतान: असली जीत है शांति

दुनिया में अक्सर दिखावे, श्रेय और सुर्खियों का बोलबाला रहता है, लेकिन हालिया भारत-पाकिस्तान सैन्य तनाव ने संयम, यथार्थवाद और कूटनीति का एक दुर्लभ पाठ पढ़ाया — भले ही वह गड़बड़ या गलत श्रेय के साथ क्यों न हो। जब मीडिया और राजनीतिक हलकों में श्रेय बटोरने की होड़ मची हुई है, ज़मीनी सच्चाई कुछ और ही कहती है। असली जीत ये है कि दो परमाणु ताकतें युद्ध के कगार से लौट आईं — और यही बात सबसे अधिक ध्यान देने योग्य है।

वे घटनाएं जिन पर कोई विवाद नहीं है

आइए उन निर्विवाद घटनाओं की श्रृंखला को समझें:

पहलगाम हमला और मुनीर की कश्मीर पर टिप्पणी
हमले से कुछ ही हफ्ते पहले, पाकिस्तानी अधिकारी मुनीर ने न्यूयॉर्क के क्वींस में प्रवासी पाकिस्तानियों को संबोधित करते हुए कश्मीर मुद्दे पर आक्रामक रुख अपनाया था। यह कोई अनियंत्रित बयान नहीं था, बल्कि एक सोची-समझी राजनीतिक घोषणा थी।
आईएसआई से जुड़ा आतंकी संगठन
जिसने पहलगाम हमले की ज़िम्मेदारी ली, वह कोई नया या अनजान समूह नहीं था। यह पाकिस्तान की खुफिया एजेंसी आईएसआई और सेना से जुड़ी एक जानी-पहचानी शाखा है। भले ही झूठ बोला गया हो, लेकिन इनकार की कोई गुंजाइश नहीं थी।
भारत की सीमित और स्पष्ट पहली स्ट्राइक
भारत ने जवाब में सीमित, सटीक और रणनीतिक हमले किए, जिन्हें वह अंतिम मानता था। भारत ने साफ किया कि वह केवल आतंकी ढांचे को खत्म करना चाहता है — और उसके बाद रुक जाना चाहता है।
पाकिस्तान की जवाबी कार्रवाई और हवाई अड्डों को नुकसान
लेकिन पाकिस्तान ने जवाबी हमला किया। संघर्ष बढ़ा। पश्चिमी उपग्रहों से लिए गए चित्रों और न्यूयॉर्क टाइम्स जैसी प्रतिष्ठित मीडिया रिपोर्टों ने पाकिस्तान के हवाई अड्डों को हुए नुकसान की पुष्टि की।
अमेरिका की स्पष्ट दूरी और समर्थन
अमेरिका के उपराष्ट्रपति जेडी वेंस ने सार्वजनिक रूप से कहा कि यह “हमारा मामला नहीं है।” भारत को अपनी रक्षा का अधिकार है। अमेरिका इसमें हस्तक्षेप नहीं करेगा।
पाकिस्तान ने अमेरिका से संपर्क किया, भारत ने द्विपक्षीयता की बात कही
पाकिस्तान ने अमेरिका से संपर्क किया। अमेरिका ने भारत से। भारत का जवाब था — पाकिस्तान के सैन्य संचालन महानिदेशक (DGMO) को भारत के समकक्ष से सीधे बात करनी चाहिए। यानि, यह मामला द्विपक्षीय है, किसी तीसरे पक्ष की आवश्यकता नहीं।
भारत ने युद्धविराम स्वीकार किया — क्योंकि वही शुरुआत से उसका लक्ष्य था
जब युद्धविराम की बात आई, तो भारत ने तुरंत स्वीकार कर लिया। इसका कारण था — भारत ने जो संदेश देना था, वह दे दिया था। उसका उद्देश्य आतंक के ढांचे को खत्म करना और फिर शांति बहाल करना था।
परमाणु संतुलन और विवेकपूर्ण रणनीति
भारत और पाकिस्तान दोनों परमाणु शक्तियां हैं। युद्ध में जाना न सिर्फ खतरनाक होता, बल्कि विनाशकारी भी। भारत का संयम और संतुलित प्रतिक्रिया रणनीतिक परिपक्वता का प्रतीक था।

ट्रंप की भूमिका: ढोल-बाजे के साथ पर्दे के पीछे की मदद?

पूर्व राष्ट्रपति डोनाल्ड ट्रंप ने इस पूरी प्रक्रिया के बाद एक “बड़ी, सुंदर” शांति संधि पर हस्ताक्षर किए। चाहे उन्होंने पर्दे के पीछे कोई बड़ी भूमिका निभाई हो या नहीं — इससे फर्क नहीं पड़ता। अगर उनके राजनीतिक अंदाज़ ने सभी पक्षों को चेहरा बचाने की जगह दी, तो वह भी मदद ही थी। और अगर ट्रंप इसी तरह गाज़ा और रूस-यूक्रेन में भी सकारात्मक भूमिका निभाते हैं — तो उनका ढोल पीटना भी स्वीकार्य है।

अमेरिकी राष्ट्रपति की वैश्विक भूमिका आज भी अद्वितीय है

अमेरिका की शक्ति सिर्फ सैन्य नहीं, बल्कि नैरेटिव और कूटनीतिक प्रभाव में भी है। चाहे अमेरिका ने भारत-पाक संघर्ष का समाधान सीधे नहीं कराया हो, लेकिन उसकी स्पष्ट तटस्थता और रुख ने ऐसे हालात बनाए जिसमें संयम संभव हुआ।

श्रेय? किसी को भी ले लेने दो — असली बात शांति है

हाँ, सभी पक्ष श्रेय लेना चाहते हैं। पाकिस्तान कहेगा उसने भारत को रोका। भारत कहेगा उसने आतंक के खिलाफ ठोस कार्रवाई की। अमेरिका कहेगा उसने माहौल शांत किया। ट्रंप कहेंगे उन्होंने दुनिया बचाई।

लेकिन जो सबसे ज़रूरी है, वह ये:

एक भीषण आतंकी हमला हुआ
भारत ने सीमित और सटीक जवाब दिया
तनाव बढ़ा, लेकिन दोनों पक्ष पीछे हटे
कूटनीति काम आई
और अब, शांति है

हर कोई श्रेय लेना चाहे — ले ले। इतिहास सबके ट्वीट और प्रेस कॉन्फ्रेंस को संजो कर रखेगा। लेकिन सच्चा श्रेय उस विवेक को है, जिसने युद्ध को रोका। और उस इलाके में, जो दशकों से हिंसा से जूझता रहा है, यह कोई छोटी बात नहीं।

निष्कर्ष:
यह कोई एक नायक की जीत नहीं थी। यह एक सामूहिक समझदारी, सामरिक संतुलन, संवाद और कभी-कभी राजनीतिक नाटक का मिला-जुला नतीजा था। लेकिन यह काम आया। और यही सबसे महत्वपूर्ण बात है।

भारत-पाकिस्तान संघर्ष और श्रेय की खींचतान: असली जीत है शांति https://t.co/A7K5mdIyeG
— Paramendra Kumar Bhagat (@paramendra) July 26, 2025

भारत-पाकिस्तान संघर्ष और श्रेय की खींचतान: असली जीत है शांति https://t.co/A7K5mdJ64e
— Paramendra Kumar Bhagat (@paramendra) July 26, 2025

Monday, June 30, 2025

Spiritual Tyranny and Earthly Oppression: Iran, Pakistan, and the Battle for the Soul

The greatest tyrannies in the world today are not just political or military—they are spiritual. At the root of the oppressive regimes in Iran and Pakistan lies a deeper captivity, one that binds not only the body, but also the soul.

True worship, by definition, must be an act of free will. Faith without freedom is not faith—it is coercion. And coercion in the name of God is not divine; it is demonic. That is the essence of spiritual tyranny.

Across centuries, certain interpretations of Islam have propagated a doctrine that those who leave the faith must be killed. This has created a prison, not only of the mind but of the spirit. When worship is demanded at the point of a sword or under threat of death, it ceases to be worship. It becomes spiritual captivity.

This is not to say that all Muslims are evil or misguided. Far from it. In Christianity, it is recognized that all have sinned and fallen short. Even the devout struggle with temptation and fall into sin. But the difference lies in the structure of redemption: the call to repentance is rooted in love, not fear; in grace, not domination.

The Devil is real. A spiritual force that clouds judgment, distorts truth, and drives people to cruelty. One of the prophecies of the Kali Yuga—this current age of darkness—is that people would kill each other and not even know why. We see this chaos across the world today. Humanity has walked far from God, and the result is cruelty without reason, violence without cause.

The Islamic Republic of Iran’s open call for the destruction of Israel is not a political policy—it is a manifestation of spiritual warfare. Israel does not seek to annihilate Iran, but the Iranian regime is driven by a hate so consuming that it ignores diplomacy, peace, and human dignity. When people are under the sway of spiritual darkness, logic no longer applies.

In the great epics of the past—the Mahabharata and the Ramayana—we saw the same dynamic. Duryodhana and Ravana both rejected every offer of peace. They were determined to fight to the death. Why? Because when The Devil takes hold of the heart, no reasoning can pierce that armor of delusion.

The tyranny of the IRGC in Iran or the military-ISI complex in Pakistan is only possible because a deeper spiritual tyranny has not yet been broken. Earthly oppression is sustained by spiritual blindness.

But there is hope. Even in the darkest age, even in the depths of Kali Yuga, redemption is possible. Those who desire freedom for Muslims must help illuminate the spiritual chains that bind them—not with hate, but with love. Not with war, but with witness.

The call of God is universal. He waits with open arms. The path to liberty—true liberty—starts with a return to the Divine. Tyranny ends not just with revolution, but with revelation.

Break the tyranny. Come to God.

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Spiritual Tyranny and Earthly Oppression: Iran, Pakistan, and the Battle for the Soul https://t.co/zt1vDAtRmV
— Paramendra Kumar Bhagat (@paramendra) June 30, 2025

11/
This isn’t a call for war. It’s a call for witness.
We must help our Muslim brothers and sisters see the chains they don’t even know they wear.#Truth #Evangelism #FaithInAction
— Paramendra Kumar Bhagat (@paramendra) June 30, 2025

आध्यात्मिक अत्याचार और सांसारिक उत्पीड़न: ईरान, पाकिस्तान और आत्मा की लड़ाई

आज की दुनिया में सबसे बड़ा अत्याचार केवल राजनीतिक या सैन्य नहीं है — वह आध्यात्मिक है। ईरान और पाकिस्तान जैसे देशों में जो दमनकारी शासन मौजूद हैं, उनकी जड़ें कहीं गहराई में छिपी हैं — आत्मा की कैद में।

सच्ची पूजा तभी संभव है जब वह स्वतंत्र इच्छा से की जाए। बिना स्वतंत्रता के आस्था, आस्था नहीं होती — वह मजबूरी होती है। और जब किसी व्यक्ति को भगवान के नाम पर डराकर झुकाया जाता है, तो वह ईश्वरीय नहीं बल्कि शैतानी कृत्य होता है। यही है असली आध्यात्मिक अत्याचार।

इस्लाम की कुछ व्याख्याओं में यह सिखाया गया है कि जो व्यक्ति धर्म छोड़ दे, उसे मौत के घाट उतार दिया जाना चाहिए। इसने लोगों को एक ऐसी जेल में डाल दिया है जहाँ न केवल शरीर बल्कि आत्मा भी बंदी बन जाती है। जब पूजा तलवार की नोंक पर करवाई जाए या मृत्यु की धमकी पर आधारित हो, तो वह पूजा नहीं, आत्मा की गुलामी होती है।

इसका यह मतलब नहीं है कि सारे मुस्लिम बुरे हैं या भटके हुए हैं। बिल्कुल नहीं। ईसाई धर्म सिखाता है कि हम सभी पापी हैं। यहां तक कि जब कोई ईश्वर को स्वीकार करता है, बपतिस्मा लेता है, तब भी शैतान उसे बहकाने की कोशिश करता है। लेकिन फर्क यह है कि पश्चाताप का आह्वान प्रेम और करुणा से किया जाता है, डर और हिंसा से नहीं।

शैतान कोई कल्पना नहीं है — वह एक वास्तविक आध्यात्मिक शक्ति है जो विवेक को धुंधला करती है, सत्य को बिगाड़ती है, और लोगों को क्रूरता की ओर धकेलती है। कलियुग की एक भविष्यवाणी कहती है: “लोग एक-दूसरे को मारेंगे और उन्हें पता भी नहीं होगा कि वे ऐसा क्यों कर रहे हैं।” आज दुनिया भर में हो रही हिंसा को देखें — यही भविष्यवाणी साकार हो रही है। जब मनुष्य ईश्वर से दूर चला जाता है, तो उसका व्यवहार भी अमानवीय हो जाता है।

ईरान की इस्लामिक रिपब्लिक का इज़राइल को मिटा देने का स्पष्ट आह्वान केवल एक राजनीतिक रुख नहीं है — यह एक गहरी आध्यात्मिक लड़ाई का प्रमाण है। इज़राइल ईरान का विनाश नहीं चाहता, लेकिन ईरानी शासन नफरत में इतना अंधा है कि वह हर समझौते, हर शांति प्रस्ताव को ठुकरा देता है। जब कोई आत्मा अंधकार में डूबी हो, तो तर्क काम नहीं करता।

प्राचीन ग्रंथों — महाभारत और रामायण — में भी हमने यही देखा। दु:शासन और रावण, दोनों ने हर शांति प्रयास को ठुकराया। वे अंत तक युद्ध करने को तैयार थे। क्यों? क्योंकि जब शैतान किसी आत्मा को जकड़ लेता है, तो कोई भी तर्क उस अंधकार को भेद नहीं सकता।

ईरान के रिवोल्यूशनरी गार्ड्स या पाकिस्तान की सेना और ISI जैसी संस्थाओं का अत्याचार तभी तक संभव है जब तक आध्यात्मिक अंधकार बना रहे। जब आत्मा बंदी हो, तो शरीर की मुक्ति असंभव हो जाती है।

लेकिन आशा है। यहाँ तक कि कलियुग की गहराई में भी मोक्ष संभव है। जो मुसलमानों के लिए भलाई चाहते हैं, उन्हें प्रेमपूर्वक यह दिखाना होगा कि वे किस आध्यात्मिक बेड़ियों में बंधे हैं। यह युद्ध नफरत से नहीं, प्रेम से जीता जाएगा। बंदूक से नहीं, प्रकाश से।

ईश्वर सभी का इंतज़ार कर रहा है — प्रेमपूर्वक। सच्ची स्वतंत्रता की राह केवल आध्यात्मिक जागरण से शुरू होती है।

अत्याचार को तोड़ो। ईश्वर की ओर लौटो।

आध्यात्मिक अत्याचार और सांसारिक उत्पीड़न: ईरान, पाकिस्तान और आत्मा की लड़ाई https://t.co/zt1vDAtRmV
— Paramendra Kumar Bhagat (@paramendra) June 30, 2025

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एक भविष्यवाणी कहती है: लोग एक-दूसरे को मारेंगे और जानेंगे भी नहीं क्यों।
आज की दुनिया को देखिए — यह वही है।#Prophecy #EndTimes #Violence
— Paramendra Kumar Bhagat (@paramendra) June 30, 2025

7/
ईरान इज़राइल को मिटाना चाहता है।
यह केवल राजनीति नहीं, आध्यात्मिक युद्ध है।
इज़राइल ऐसा नहीं चाहता, लेकिन शैतान को अंतिम लड़ाई चाहिए।#Iran #Israel #SpiritualWarv
— Paramendra Kumar Bhagat (@paramendra) June 30, 2025

12/
कलियुग के इस अंधकार में भी ईश्वर की रोशनी है।
अत्याचार तोड़ो।
ईश्वर की ओर लौटो।#Kalki #EndTimes #ComeToGod
— Paramendra Kumar Bhagat (@paramendra) June 30, 2025

🧵Part 1/n

“جب میں نے 1996 میں سیاسی جماعت بنائی تو اس کا نام تحریک انصاف رکھا، انصاف کی حکمرانی کا مطلب یہ ہوتا ہے کہ سب قانون کے سامنے برابر ہوں۔ وہ ملک کبھی ترقی نہیں کر سکتا جس ملک میں انصاف نہ ہو، امیر اور غریب کے لیے قانون برابر نہ ہو۔”
- پاکستان کے کپتان، وزیراعظم عمران… pic.twitter.com/xozhq7JPRe
— PTI (@PTIofficial) June 30, 2025

Mature Christians don’t lash out against unbelievers online; they long for the lost to also know Jesus and compassionately reach them with the gospel.
— On the Mount (@OntheMountInc) June 30, 2025

Thursday, June 19, 2025

19: Pakistan

Deported (novel)
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The Last Age of War, The First Age of Peace: Lord Kalki, Prophecies, and the Path to Global Redemption
AOC 2028: : The Future of American Progressivism

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In a lush, futuristic circle by the Red Sea—filled with fruit orchards, sacred geometry, and silent drones delivering coffee and music—10 people are summoned by a mysterious scroll.
They are the chosen debaters of the Garden of Last Debates. pic.twitter.com/tt9cEZ7PjV
— Paramendra Kumar Bhagat (@paramendra) June 19, 2025

रुसी राष्ट्रपति भ्लादिमिर पुटिनले इजरायलको सुरक्षा चिन्तालाई सम्बोधन गर्दै रुस इरानको शान्तिपूर्ण आणविक विकासलाई समर्थन गर्न तयार रहेको बताएका छन् ।https://t.co/N5Jok4j4ll
— Kantipur (@ekantipur_com) June 20, 2025

Why no one wants to go to church anymore. https://t.co/92kNazeQn3
— C. S. Lewis (@CSLewisDaily) June 20, 2025

Why Nobody Wants to Go to Church Anymore According to a Gallup poll, less than 40 percent of Americans “say” they go to church weekly. As it turns out, however, less than 20 percent are actually in church. In other words, more than 80 percent of Americans are finding more fulfilling things to do on weekends. Furthermore, somewhere between 4,000 and 7,000 churches close their doors every year. .......... between 8,000 and 10,000 churches will likely close this year. Between the years 2010 and 2012, more than half of all churches in America added not one new member. Each year, nearly 3 million more previous churchgoers enter the ranks of the “religiously unaffiliated.” ........ Technology is changing everything we do, including how we “do” church. Yet, there are scores of churches that are still operating in the age of the Industrial Revolution. Instead of embracing the technology and adapting their worship experiences to include the technology, scores of traditional churches, mainline Protestant, and almost all Catholic churches do not utilize the very instruments that, without which, few Millennials would know how to communicate or interact. As a consequence, in my consultation with church leaders, I strongly suggest to pastors and priests, for example, that they should use social media. ............ Even in worship, I encourage them to grab their smartphones and, right smack in the middle of a sermon, ask the youth and young adults to text their questions about the sermon’s topic that, as they do, you’ll retrieve them on your smartphone and, before dismissing worship, you’ll answer the three best questions about today’s sermon. ........... people today meet other people of entirely different faith traditions, and many of them are compassionate like Christ but not followers of Christ. .......... You cannot tell Millennials that your church welcomes everybody -- that all can come to Jesus -- and then, when they come, what they find are few mixed races or no mixed couples. You cannot say, “Everybody is welcome here if, by that, you really mean, so long as you’re like the rest of us, straight and in a traditional family.” In the words of Rachel Evans, a millennial herself and a blogger for CNN, “Having been advertised to our whole lives, we millennials have susceptible BS meters.”

Tuesday, June 17, 2025

17: India-Pakistan

The 'made-in-America' Trump Mobile phone sure looks like a made-in-China phone
Americans cut back sharply on their spending last month amid tariffs
Indonesia issues highest alert as volcano erupts
Maddow Blog | Trump adopts a new posture toward Iran, demands ‘unconditional surrender’ As recently as Sunday, Donald Trump himself said in a message posted to his social media platform, “The U.S. had nothing to do with the attack on Iran.” .......... On Monday, for example, as the Republican prepared to leave a G7 summit ahead of schedule, he published another online message that read in part, “Everyone should immediately evacuate Tehran!” Why should the residents of the Iranian capital evacuate? Trump didn’t say. How should a city of more than 9 million people immediately flee? And to where? ......... His use of the word “we” was certainly of interest. If the Trump administration’s line on Friday was accurate and the U.S. was not involved in Israel’s offensive, then how exactly do “we” have “complete and total control of the skies over Iran”? ....... In early October 2012, Trump wrote on the platform then known as Twitter, “Now that Obama’s poll numbers are in tailspin — watch for him to launch a strike in Libya or Iran. He is desperate.” Nearly a year later, the future Republican president added, “Remember what I previously said–Obama will someday attack Iran in order to show how tough he is.”

pic.twitter.com/Nty3MZ8yAG
— Robert Hardin (@RobertH73980089) April 11, 2018

The president's approval ratings gap is worsening as more Americans are disapproving of the job he is doing as president. https://t.co/GjopYLcK8j
— Newsweek (@Newsweek) June 17, 2025

What's it like to betray yourself and your country for a few shekels? https://t.co/YSMjbeaJQV
— Sam Parker 🇺🇸🧯 (@BasedSamParker) March 18, 2025

"If that is what the administration is willing to do to a United States senator for having the authority to simply ask a question, imagine what they'll do to any American who dares to speak up."

— Sen. Alex Padilla on his forceful removal from the DHS presser pic.twitter.com/KxsQJiJWhJ
— The Recount (@therecount) June 17, 2025

Trump vs. AOC: New poll reveals which politician's policies Americans prefer
All the signs Trump is preparing for a US attack on Iran Shortly before his abrupt exit from the G7 meeting being held in Canada, he called on residents of Tehran, home to nearly 10 million people, to immediately evacuate, and later met with top national security officials at the White House Situation Room. ........ The president further hardened his language on Tuesday, claiming on his Truth Social platform that "we have complete and total control of the skies over Iran," appearing to suggest the U.S. was already a party to the conflict. He even alleged to know the exact location of Iranian Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, referring to the top Iranian authority as "an easy target," though, "we are not going to take him out (kill!), at least not for now." .......... Over the weekend, aviation watchers noticed around two dozen of U.S. Air Force KC-135R and KC-46A tankers being deployed to Europe. Such aircraft are necessary to refuel warplanes conducting forward operations from afar and reports later tied their movement to tensions building in the Middle East........ Then, on Monday, the USS Nimitz aircraft carrier diverted from the South China Sea to the Middle East, where it would join the USS Carl Vinson carrier strike group that entered the Arabian Sea in April............ If the U.S. were to conduct a strike on Iran's heavily fortified underground Fordow nuclear enrichment facility, the weapon most widely believed to be involved would be the GBU 57/B Massive Ordnance Penetrator, which Israel was not known to possess. The only aircraft certified to carry the 15-ton bomb is the U.S. B-2 stealth bomber, capable of delivering strikes from bases 6,000 miles away.......... The closest known B-2 base to Fordow is the U.S. Naval Facility Diego Garcia, the remote Indian Ocean island base where up to six of the elite bombers were deployed back in March. ........... U.S. Central Command is estimated to have roughly 40,000 personnel in the Middle East. ......... Prior to the Israeli strikes and breakdown of negotiations, Araghchi had stated that Iran would only accept a nuclear agreement that allowed the country to continue enriching uranium, albeit at far lower levels incapable of producing a bomb. While Trump signaled earlier into the talks that his only condition for a deal would be one in which Iran could not obtain nuclear weapons, he later adopted an explicit line of preventing Tehran from conducting any enrichment activity at home.

Look, I'm seeing this from the inside, and am admittedly biased towards our president (and my friend), but there's a lot of crazy stuff on social media, so I wanted to address some things directly on the Iran issue:

First, POTUS has been amazingly consistent, over 10 years, that…
— JD Vance (@JDVance) June 17, 2025

No, I'm not saying that. First off, Tulsi's testimony was in March, and a lot has changed since then. Second, if you look at what she said then, her point about uranium enrichment is consistent with what I wrote above.
— JD Vance (@JDVance) June 17, 2025

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