The Power Of Patriotism

Newsletter | May 2, 2024

Just when it looks like America is on the verge of succumbing to the forces of darkness and the furies of evil, someone steps up to remind us what it means to be an American. Even amidst the pro-Hamas demonstrations that have been roiling college campuses across the nation where the children of our corrupt elite chant anti-American and antisemitic slogans and wave banners celebrating murderers, there are patriots, even heroes.

This week, members of a University of North Carolina fraternity stepped into history when they stood up to protect the American flag. As protests raged at one of the nation’s oldest and famed public research universities, UNC-Chapel Hill, pro-terrorist demonstrators took down Old Glory and hoisted in its place the Palestinian flag, a pennant symbolizing to the world over murder, resentment, grievance, and hatred. The police eventually restored the American flag to its rightful place. But the terror sympathizers tried to pull it down again for the purpose of destroying it, and that’s when the men from Pi Kappa Phi stepped into the breach.

If you haven’t seen the pictures or videos yet, you’re missing some of the most emblematic and rousing images of the current moment — a dozen or so all-American-looking young men, maybe a few of them still boys, dressed in jeans and polo shirts, holding the flag. They’re smiling, happy warriors, proud to be there at that moment with that responsibility.

These images join the anthology of other great pictures of Americans and the flag they revere — like the iconic snapshot of Donald Trump embracing Old Glory and the photo of U.S. hockey goalie Jim Craig draping the star-spangled banner over his shoulders to celebrate the 1980 “Miracle on Ice.” And they’re all inspired by one of the greatest pictures in American history, capturing the moment when six United States Marines raised our flag on the beaches Iwo Jima.

Our flag and its history bring out strong emotions in us. It brought forth the patriotism in those young UNC students. “My fraternity brother and others ran over to hold it up, in order for it not to touch the ground,” Pi Kappa Phi member Guillermo Estrada wrote on social media. “People began throwing water bottles at us, rocks, sticks, calling us profane names. We stood for an hour defending the flag so many fight to protect.”

Guillermo explained that his “parents started a new life in the United States, a country that has helped them flourish and raise two kids. I grew up in a Military community and saw firsthand the sacrifices they make.” He said he would not stand by as the protestors disrespected the flag and the sacrifice it stands for.

His mother and father should be proud, and mothers and fathers around the country should be glad to know there are young men willing to stand for what’s right. It’s men like this who make us confident in our future; men like who make America great.

Please participate in our Reader’s Survey. Your insights and thoughts are important as we learn what is on the minds and in the hearts of our fellow Americans. We read them all and share some of them Mondays at 9 a.m. during America’s Future live broadcasts with our Executive Director Mary O’Neill on America’s Mondays With Mary. Thank You!

Ron Coleman is an Orthodox Jew and political conservative, a lawyer, and host of the ColemanNation video podcast, which focuses on free expression, cancel culture, and law. You can find him at @roncoleman on X or at home in Clifton, New Jersey. Recently, he shared his insights with us on America’s constitutional landscape and the rise of antisemitism.

Do you think antisemitism is on the rise in the U.S.?

Of course, it is. Anyone who denies this is a total fool or believes he’s talking to one.

Is antisemitism one of the driving factors of the pro-Hamas protests at campuses around the country?

Yes. The championing by Western elites – including countless faculty and administrators of Jewish extraction – of atrocities against any other identified national, ethnic, or religious group would be unthinkable.

Is the lawfare campaign against Donald Trump working?

Yes and no. It certainly has erected daunting practical, administrative, and cultural barriers between President Trump and his reelection. But it has also frankly revealed the rot in our political and legal systems – and, again, our culture – in a way, that is irreversible.

Has the lawfare campaign against Trump lawyers made it harder to be a conservative lawyer and represent conservative causes?

Yes, but that too is a question with two answers. Yes, it is harder than ever to do these things as part of a major law firm. But it is also easier to join the new counterculture of high-quality advocates who are committed to protecting civil liberties.

What is your prayer for America?

I pray that God give us the courage, character, and strength to once again live up to Lincoln’s description of America as mankind’s last, best hope.

Editor’s Note: To read other Speaking With American Patriots interviews, please click here.

Citizens Encourage Citizens To Get In The Fight

Understanding the brutal reality of the extent of child exploitation and trafficking in local communities is an eye-opening experience for attendees at America’s Future Get In The Fight state campaigns. However, the realization by participants that opportunities exist to get involved in protecting the innocent lives of children is the breakthrough message and takeaway that resonates in their testimonials to take action.

“The fact that this isn’t like priority number one in this country right now, it needs to be, and I just appreciate all these people that came here and, you know, are raising the issue so that we can get involved and giving us a plan,” said Line Barger, who attended last weekend’s Washington State campaign. His testimonial is one of many from other citizens recounting their experience and training gained by attending a state campaign that you can watch above.

From Florida to Washington State, America’s Future Get In The Fight community-based summits and training programs are mobilizing thousands of people nationwide to take action to help end the war on children and arming them with the tools and a 10-point planning strategy to implement in their communities.

On Friday and Saturday, June 14 and 15, America’s Future will be at Portage Community Chapel in Ravenna, Ohio, for the next Get In The Fight campaign. The Friday night summit begins at 6 p.m. with a panel moderated by Lara Logan, an award-winning investigative journalist on the Board of America’s Future. Summit panelists include Bazzel Baz, founder and president of the Association for the Recovery of Children (ARC); Tara Lee Rodas, HHS whistleblower; Tina Baz, ARC Human Trafficking Program Director; Lynze Piper-Loomis, actionvist, podcaster, overcomer, and author of I Am Silent No More, and Daniel Duval, executive director of BRIDE Ministries. General Mike Flynn, America’s Future Board Chair, is also scheduled to give remarks.

The training programs on Saturday run from 9:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. and offer a diverse range of courses tailored to various professions and roles. These include seminars for healthcare professionals, parents and caring adults, first responders, real estate professionals, and overcomers. The curriculum also covers essential topics such as “Navigating the Emerging Threat of Sextortion” and “Artificial Intelligence and Media Manipulation,” ensuring that every participant gains relevant and valuable knowledge.

To register for the Get In The Fight Ohio State campaign, click here. The campaigns are part of America’s Future Project Defend & Protect Our Children initiative. Individuals or organizations interested in coordinating a Get In The Fight campaign in their states are invited to email Lisa MacDonald, America’s Future Director of Strategic Planning, at [email protected]. Click here to join the Project Defend & Protect Our Children network and receive news and information about upcoming events and other important educational material.

Reporting On America’s Future Amicus Briefs

The eighth installment of America’s Future ongoing series of updates regarding high-profile lawsuits and landmark Supreme Court cases in which our organization filed amicus briefs is below. Over 50 have been filed since December 2021 in jurisdictions nationwide, at both trial and appellate levels, to stand up for America’s foundational values and safeguard the survival of our Republic. To access all the status updates posted thus far, please click here.

Case: 303 Creative, LLC v Elenis, SCOTUS Dkt No. 21-476
Court: SCOTUS
Amicus Brief
Filing Date(s): June 2, 2022
Primary Issue(s): Whether the Publication Clause of Colorado’s Anti-Discrimination Act (“CADA”) is unconstitutional because it makes it unlawful to publish any communication “that indicates that…services will be declined or that an individual’s patronage or presence…is unwelcome, objectionable, unacceptable, or undesirable because of’ someone’s disability, race, creed, color, sex, sexual orientation, marital status, national origin, or ancestry.”?
Outcome: Consistent with the urging of America’s Future, on June 30, 2023, the SCOTUS issued its opinion in the case, finding in favor of 303 Creative LLC, and ruling that the First Amendment prohibits the government from forcing an individual to speak in ways that align with the government’s views “but defy her own conscience about a matter of major significance.”

Case: Yukutake v. Shikada, 9th Cir. Dkt. No. 21-16756
Court: United States Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit
Amicus Brief
Filing Date(s): May 2, 2022
Primary Issues: Considering New York State Rifle & Pistol Ass’n, Inc. v. Bruen (2022), whether Hawai Revised Statutes (HRS) § 134-2(e) and HRS § 134-3(c), in relevant parts, mandating “(1) that individuals purchase a handgun (pistol or revolver) within 10 days of obtaining a permit to acquire” and (2) “that individuals physically bring their firearm to the police department for in-person inspection and registration within five days of acquiring it are unconstitutional, in violation of the Second Amendment.
Outcome: Pending with the Ninth Circuit, en banc.

Case: Duncan v. Bonta, SCOTUS Dkt. No. 21-1194
Court: SCOTUS
Amicus Brief
Filing Date(s): April 1, 2022
Primary Issue(s): Whether California’s Proposition 63, requiring California citizens to undergo a background check every time they wish to purchase ammunition for firearms, is unconstitutional as violative of the Fourteenth Amendment Due Process Clause and the Second Amendment right to keep and bear arms.
Outcome: Consistent with the urging of America’s Future, on June 30, 2022, the SCOTUS vacated the judgment of the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals and remanded the case to the lower court for further proceedings consistent with New York State Rifle & Pistol Ass’n, Inc. v. Bruen (2022). Upon receipt of the SCOTUS judgment and instructions, on September 23, 2022, the Ninth Circuit remanded the case to the district court for further proceedings consistent with New York State Rifle & Pistol Ass’n, Inc. v. Bruen (2022).

Case: Illinois v Ferreiro, USCA – D.C., Dkt. No. 21-5096
Court: United States Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit
Amicus Brief
Filing Date(s): March 11, 2022
Primary Issues: Whether the district court properly dismissed the legal challenge brought by the state of Illinois against Mr. Ferriero, in his capacity as Archivist of the United States, for refusing to certify a 1972 proposed Amendment to our Constitution, coined as the Equal Rights Amendment, as part of our Constitution when ratification by the requisite number of states was not effectuated in a timely manner; and whether Illinois lacked standing to sue based on the legal principle “laches,” which essentially stands for an unreasonable delay initiating suit or “sitting on your rights.”
Outcome: Consistent with the urging of America’s Future, on February 28, 2023, the D.C. Circuit panel of three judges affirmed the lower court’s judgement and dismissed the lawsuit.

Editor’s Note: To read all the Amicus briefs’ status updates posted thus far, please click here.

Propaganda

This is the nineteenth entry in our In Focus series identifying and exposing the tools that modern-day tyrants are using to thwart the will of We The People for power and control. To access previous articles, please click here.

Had the United States implemented Operation Ortsac – its plan to invade Cuba in 1962 – it doubtless would have put priority on seizing television and radio stations in order to assume control over communications throughout the island nation. Regulation of the flow of information, especially in a time of turmoil, is essential to subjugating a people. It is a basic tool of statecraft.

Propaganda can be classified as “white,” “gray,” or “black,” depending on the transparency of the source:

“White propaganda” clearly identifies the source, enabling the recipient, at least to some extent, to evaluate the potential motives and perspectives of the creator. Official government pronouncements are white propaganda, as were the World War II radio broadcasts of “Tokyo Rose.”
“Black propaganda” is produced by one entity, but attributed to another. Warring parties will often craft and publish inflammatory messages, attributing them to their enemy. A political campaign could invent a racist campaign strategy, make it look like it came from an opposing candidate, and then release it to friends in the press in an effort to embarrass an innocent opponent.
“Gray propaganda” simply doesn’t reveal its source. Not knowing where such information comes from makes it difficult to know how to assess its veracity. The old way to evaluate information — “consider the source” — does not work for Gray propaganda.

The press was once called the “fourth estate” or the “fourth branch of government,” since it served the vital role of telling the truth about what government was doing and attempting to conceal. And there was a time that the media was so trusted that anything that the national news anchors reported on the evening news was believed to be true. After all, why would they lie?

The intelligence community took full advantage of the faith of the American people in the press. The Deep State developed close relationships with key members of the press and have so-called journalists report their “propaganda” as if it were straight news. An October 1977 report by former Washington Post Reporter Carl Bernstein entitled “The CIA and the Media,” revealed details of the cooperation between the CIA and the press. Among its most shocking revelations was the number of so-called journalists simultaneously working for the CIA.

The days during which moderates and conservatives believed whatever the media reported are long gone. During his 2016 campaign and ensuing presidency, Donald Trump referred to “fake news” so frequently that Collins Online Dictionary awarded that phrase “word of the year” honors, in 2017. Breaking the illusion that the media speaks truth is one of the great favors that President Trump did for the nation. However, Leftists who are fed a constant diet of establishment propaganda are only reinforced in what they believe and thus exhibit little skepticism.

Propaganda can convince a nation of the moral rightness of their cause, leading them to sacrifice and fight and die in war that benefits no one but arms merchants, the politicians, and the nation’s elites. Or, propaganda can undermine the morale of a people, persuading them that the victory of the enemy is inevitable no matter what they may do.

During the American Revolution, “London newspapers reported the battles of Trenton and Princeton, both decisive American victories, in a fashion that would suggest the British won…. British papers described John Paul Jones as a pirate and how they thought victory was close at hand until the very end.”

Napoleon “discovered the power of the press early on in his military career. His first successful attempts to use propaganda were his regular battle bulletins” which were originally distributed to the troops for morale purposes. But soon they “started to be included in more general newspapers so they would reach a wider audience” among the general public. Realizing the power of the entertainment media in molding public opinion, he also began to censor the theater industry. “New works had to first be read by the minister for justice. Anything that appeared to criticize the state or Napoleon himself would be either changed or banned outright.” Carrying on this tradition, in America, Hollywood and the military have long been linked.

In 1917, Woodrow Wilson established the first official U.S. propaganda agency, the “Committee on Public Information” (CPI). Wilson needed to control the press, as he had just been reelected on the slogan “He kept us out of war,” and he now was pushing the country to enter World War I. The iconic poster of “Uncle Sam” saying, “I want YOU for U.S. Army” was a creation of Wilson’s propaganda effort:

In their effort to unify the country, Wilson and [CPI head George] Creel deployed their own versions of fake news. While the worst that can be said of the sunny fake news flowing out of the CPI was that it was incomplete, the dark fake news, which painted the enemy as subhuman, let loose a riptide of hatred and emboldened thousands to use patriotism as an excuse for violence.

To motivate people to go to war, and to motivate soldiers to kill, it is helpful if they have a visceral hatred of the enemy. And it is easier to hate someone who is subhuman than someone who is human. All we need to hear is that another country has raped women or killed children, and emotions take over as we are ready to seek revenge. In Iraq, lies about babies being thrown out of incubators in Kuwait City by Iraqi soldiers turned out to be lies. It is often said, “The first casualty of war is the truth.” Hearing of such claims should cause us to remember: “Dearly beloved, avenge not yourselves, but rather give place unto wrath: for it is written, Vengeance is mine; I will repay, saith the Lord.” Romans12:19.

In World War II, President Franklin Roosevelt followed Wilson’s lead, creating a new propaganda agency. “The United States was about six months into World War II when it founded the Office of War Information (OWI). Its mission: to disseminate political propaganda. The office spread its messages through print, radio, and film,” as well as more iconic posters such as the famous “Rosie the Riveter” poster, encouraging women to work in factories as military-age men were deployed to war.

During the Cold War, the Voice of America, Radio Free Europe, and the Middle East Broadcasting Networks distributed pro-American sentiments to people across the Iron Curtain and in the Middle East. Since 1985, it has been illegal to use such U.S. government programming “to influence public opinion in the United States,” and the programs were only available overseas. However, most do not realize that under the Obama administration, in 2013, the ban on domestic propaganda was lifted, and now $700 million a year in government propaganda can be aimed directly at influencing domestic public opinion.

Often, the media does not need to wait for instructions from government handlers, as it is primarily committed Leftists who rise to the top in media companies. Former CBS News reporter Lara Logan has stated that “85 percent of journalists are registered Democrats.” According to one report, 62 percent of stories in the major media about President Trump’s first 100 days in office were negative and only five percent positive. President Obama, by contrast, received only 20 percent negative and 42 percent positive. By February of this year, according to the Media Research Center (MRC), fully 89 percent of stories about Trump were negative. The MRC also reported that in the leadup to the 2020 election, stories about Trump were 92 percent negative, with only 34 percent of stories about Biden being negative.

In April 2024, former National Public Radio (NPR) executive Uiri Berliner wrote a devastating critique of his former employer. “An open-minded spirit no longer exists within NPR, and now, predictably, we don’t have an audience that reflects America,” Berliner said. “Race and identity became paramount in nearly every aspect of the workplace. Journalists were required to ask everyone we interviewed their race, gender, and ethnicity.” NPR no longer seeks truth in any sense, but only victory for its Leftist ideology. In response, many have called for defunding of NPR, but the most recent Omnibus spending bill pushed by the Uniparty in Congress fully funded NPR.

Futurist Herman Kahn once is reported to have said in a lecture: “You can gauge the health of a society by the truth of its rumors. In a healthy society, most rumors are true.” Considering the current state of the world and the nation, suspicion should be the order of the day. Perhaps we need to shift from “consider the source” to the oldest tool for evaluating new information — Cui Bono? Who benefits? Who stands to gain? Focusing on that ancient question often provides real insights into the truthfulness of claims we hear and keeps us from following the crowd over the cliff.

Editor’s Note: To read the articles in this series, please click here.

Get In The Fight Ohio State campaign is around the corner. Register today to attend the Ohio State Summit and Training Programs on June 14 and 15 at Portage Community Chapel in Ravenna, OH. Get the facts and learn what you can do in your community to help end child exploitation and trafficking.

LISTEN ON SPOTIFY: Now you can tune in every week on Spotify to America’s Mondays With Mary and listen to our Executive Director Mary O’Neill’s report on the comments and insights we receive from our fellow Americans to our weekly Reader’s Survey. Listen and learn what’s on their minds and in their hearts and get the latest news about America’s Future activities and updates.

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IN FOCUS – Lawfare to Win Elections

Get In The Fight – Training Program Highlights

Get In The Fight – Washington State Summit Recap

America’s Mondays With Mary – May 13, 2024