Hamas agrees to cease fire. The terrorist organization responsible for the October 7, 2023 attack on innocent civilians in Israel, including the rape and murder of women and children and the taking of hundreds of hostages, has agreed to a cease fire deal brokered by Egypt and Qatar. Details of the agreement that hopes to put a pause on seven months of war have not yet been revealed, and Israel doesn’t look much interested, identifying it as a “ruse” to make Israel look like the party that doesn’t want to stop the fighting. The Israeli Defense Force has littered Rafah, Hamas’ last remaining stronghold in Gaza, with pamphlets instructing civilians to evacuate the town to a designated humanitarian area in anticipation of an IDF attack. Israel pledged at the beginning of this conflict to annihilate Hamas, and it doesn’t appear that goal has been abandoned. The United States has placed on hold a shipment of ammunition to Israel in what looks like at attempt to force Israel’s hand against attacking Rafah, though newspapers report otherwise. That’s not likely going to succeed. President Biden has been at best a half-hearted ally of Israel, and Israel’s Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has stated that, if Israel needs to face Hamas alone, then it will do so. The bottom line is, there doesn’t look like a clear end to the fighting any time soon. For my part, I understand the desire to stop the war. I understand the risk of continued fighting to innocent civilians. But Hamas is a terrorist organization that is supported by Iran, a terrorist state. What I don’t understand is why people think Israel is expected to sit back and take it from these terrorists without fighting back. Would any other nation be expected to do so? How is it that Israel seems to be the one nation in the world that is supposed to take it on the chin from terrorists who desire to destroy them? How is it that Israel is the bad guy for simply trying to defend their nation from terrorists? That I don’t understand. If anyone has a reasonable explanation, I’m all ears. In the meantime, I’ll continue to pray for peace.

Columbia cancels main commencement ceremony. Columbia University has announced that they have canceled their main commencement ceremony because of the protests that continue to disrupt their campus. This is absurd! How is it that what are supposed to be the finest universities in the country, and among the finest in the world, cannot maintain a sense of order in their own front yards? Columbia, NYU, UCLA, Chicago University, Harvard, among so many others have lost complete control of their campuses to a group of students who probably don’t even know what their protesting. These protests long ago abandoned any principle of being non-violent, and long ago ceased to be led by students. And why is it that so many Americans of younger years seem enamored by a terrorist organization whose claim to fame is raping women and killing children? These are supposed to be the smart people in our society! It is long past due that these universities need to employ the services of whatever police or national guard forces are available to them to regain control of their properties. It is unfair and costly to those students, the great majority, who go to college to get an education to have to suffer the fools who put on these charades of actually caring about people. Those involved in these actions who are not students ought to be arrested, and those involved who are students ought to be suspended. Non-violent protest is a staple of American society, but this is not that. These university administrators need to grow a pair and take care of business before no one is left who takes these institutions seriously.

Trump prosecutor was paid consultant for DNC. Forget the fact that Alvin Bragg’s prosecution of former president Donald Trump is a politically motivated circus, but it seems we aren’t even trying to pretend to be objective in our judicial system anymore. It has recently been learned that the person prosecuting Trump was a paid “political consultant” for the Democratic National Committee. Yes, Michael Colangelo, who delivered opening statements in Trump’s trial, was paid $12000 by the DNC as a “political consultant” in 2018. Why is this happening? Can the Democrats in New York at least give some effort to look objective as they try to railroad Trump on charges that long ago passed the statute of limitations and that even the feds were unwilling to prosecute? Our judicial system is looking more and more like that of a banana republic. If Trump is guilty of a crime, he should pay the consequences. But can we at least create some grounds, even an inch, for people to believe that, if he is found guilty, it’s because he’s actually guilty, and not because the party in power wants to be rid of him? Is there a person in this country, including Bragg, Colangelo, the judge, and the jury who think this trial is objective? Honestly, where is our integrity as a nation?

Be Christ for all. Bring Christ to all. See Christ in all.