Commentary

Zuckerberg Promises to End the Censorship He Denied was Occurring Only time will tell if this is a true ‘Come to Jesus’ moment or a selfserving change in Facebook’s business model.

“The truth will out!” William Shakespeare tells us, and it has.

Certainly since at least 2020, millions of us have believed that speech—primarily conservative speech—has been suppressed and censored by the huge social media platforms, prominently including Facebook/Meta. Under the guise of so-called “fact checking” the huge platform tweaked its complex algorithms in such a way as to tamp down and de-emphasize the speech valued and sought by so many of us.

Welcome to 2025! The train is heating up, ready to leave the station, and it’s time to get on board. The journey towards the days ahead can fill us with excitement, anticipation, and a bit of curiosity wondering where our travels will take us.

As with any journey, there are preparations we need to make beforehand. For the journey of a new year, it helps to get some of the small things out of the way as soon as possible, in order to free us up to enjoy our journey.

One of the biggest setbacks we have to starting a new year is dealing with is just getting the new year prepped (look at it as putting the train in gear before it leaves the station). In order to put the engine on the right track, it helps to get some preliminary work done. That way, you’ll have the rest of the year to work on your goals, dreams, and personal growth, and still have some time for fun.

“For unto you is born this day in the City of David a Savior, Who is Christ, the Lord.”

The stars were shining brightly that Night, When the angel of God did appear; He told the shepherds that something had happened And they should go and draw near.

Yes, the night sky suddenly began to glow With light from Heaven above: And the angel told them what God had done, That would show His Power and great Love.

“For unto you is born this Night, “In that City called ‘House of Bread:’ “A Savior has been sent to redeem you “Just as the prophets foretold and said.

“He’ll be the One to save you “And the Christ Who’ll set you free; “So go now into Bethlehem and see Him, “As you bow down on bended knee.

“You’ll find Him in a manger, “That’s filled with freshly cut hay; “Yes, you’ll find Him sleeping so sweetly, “Who’ll one day turn darkness into Day.

There is a lot to consider about the broad presidential pardon granted to Hunter Biden this past week but virtually all of it involves lies and hypocrisy.

First, President Biden lied, yet again, when asked if he would pardon Hunter for his crimes. He flatly said “no” and that he would “abide by the jury’s decision.” However, millions of us believe he said that only to keep the prospect of a family pardon from becoming an election issue. However, it’s not the pardoning of his son, in and of itself, that offends.

It’s the fact that in his pardon message Biden states he sought to correct a “miscarriage of justice” and blamed his socalled “political opponents” in Congress for Hunter’s problems. That is just laughable! We may forgive a father for protecting a son—particularly one who has struggled with addiction and other personal problems as his son has—but Hunter’s problems were caused by Hunter! He is a criminal.

“Why Christmas?”

There’s nothing wrong with questioning traditions; the key is continuing them if they’re based in Truth.

Yes, why do we celebrate this annual holiday— which basically is part of Christianity and nowadays (to so many)

is little more than a time for shopping and the giving-and-receiving of gifts.

For sure, it’s become quite commercialized and one of retailers’ biggest times of the year; in fact, it’s estimated that shoppers will spend over $1.2 trillion this year—with an average of $1,632 being spent/person on gifts, entertainment and travel.

You’ve probably noticed that Christmas decorations are already being put up in stores by/before Halloween. And, Christmas music is already being played in stores by/before Thanksgiving, in addition to Christmas ads being shown on television by Turkey Day.

So, the question of

“Why Christmas?”

What I’ve always found interesting is the long-held belief that “America’s enemies always test a new president to see how far they can go.” Well, I’m highly doubtful that will occur now. They won’t be testing this one.

Our enemies no doubt already know that the “appeasement” policy of the Obama-Biden Administrations is resoundingly over.

Rather, our enemies know exactly what they will be getting from Trump II and America—a decisive Commander-in-Chief and a military structure with the capacity to bring overwhelming force against America’s enemies. The result of this, ironically, will be to preserve peace. This was President Reagan’s philosophy of “peace through strength.”

The community of St. Paul’s join all the nation in Thanksgiving for the families, friends, communities, and this nation that we have been given. Thanksgiving Day, a holy day in the calendar of the Book of Common Prayer (pp. 17, 33), that coincides with the first observance of Thanksgiving Day as a national holiday by the United States in 1789. Before, there was a custom, observed in the Plymouth colony since 1621, of setting aside three days for prayer at the time. In 1863, President Abraham Lincoln instituted celebrating Thanksgiving Day each year on the last Thursday of November.

There is a universal quality to Thanksgiving that is not shared among all church holidays, for it is a day of prayer as well as a secular day of celebration among all us Americans. Indeed, among all people, for it is our harvest festival. Every tradition thanks God for the fruits of the earth and the labor of those who tend and gather them.

“For those who live according to the flesh set their minds on the things of the flesh, but those who live according to the spirit, the things of the spirit.” Romans 8:5.

To God be the glory Who had given us the Holy Bible because by it the Saints are aware of what is required to make it to eternal life. No wonder then that The Holy Bible remains the most attacked of all books by the host of hell.

The above Scriptural verse points to the truth on what to put our minds on and what to avoid from occupying our minds. The things of the flesh end in death while things of the spirit tend live eternal.

From the pen of

I felt a deep sense of relief and gratitude on Wednesday that the election was over; and an equally relieved that President Trump’s victory was decisive enough that the country won’t be put through endless election challenges and legal disputes. My great gratitude is due to the fact that I believe our country will be placed on a much sturdier, safer, and prosperous path going forward.

While many prominent pollsters were wrong about which candidate would win the election many polls prior to the election were accurate regarding the issues Americans were most concerned about: the invasion of illegals on our southern borders as well as the economic/inflationary suffering created by a decline in real wages coupled with the high cost of daily goods like eggs, bacon, milk, gas and the impossibility of purchasing a home due to high interest rates.

As you know by now, former President Donald Trump won last week’s election by a landslide: winning both the electoral votes with over 300 and the popular vote with over 72 million votes ( almost five million more than VP Harris).

And, at his acceptance speech, Trump said “We overcame obstacles that nobody thought we could,” vowing to fight for every family and their futures. Then he added, “This will truly be the Golden Age of America.”

I guess that remains to be seen and either be validated or disdained in four years.

Regardless, at least among Republicans and conservative Americans ( like me), Trump’s words definitely rang true: for we’ve longed for a return to those peaceful years under President Ronald Reagan.