Florida Teen Sues Former School, Alleges Staff, Students Ostracized Him for His Christian Faith

Milton Quintanilla – March 7, 2022

A Florida teen has filed a discrimination lawsuit against his former school after allegedly being targeted by staff and students because of his Christian faith.

Nicolas Ortiz, who attended Mater Academy from 2018 to January 2022, claims he was mistreated by staff and students for bringing his Bible to school. According to the suit, Ortiz would often read his Bible during his free time to build his faith.

Representing Ortiz is The Dhillon Law Group, which filed a 206-page lawsuit against Mater Academy on Monday.

“Mr. Ortiz is experiencing something that no American should ever have to experience,” the law firm’s managing partner, Harmeet K. Dhillon, said in a statement.

“It’s bad enough that the school has done nothing to stop the bullying from his peers, but have gone as far as joining in on targeting Mr. Ortiz for simply practicing his faith. This blatant violation of his first amendment rights is another example of how extreme so many in our education system have become, and why Dhillon Law Group is coming to Mr. Ortiz’s defense.”

According to The Christian Post, Ortiz was ridiculed and threatened by other students, publicly humiliated after his science teacher called him “ignorant” during class, and more because of his faith.

In September 2021, Ortiz reportedly had his Bible ripped apart by his peers while he was reading it during his free time. When Ortiz reported the incident, he was told by the vice principal to stop bringing the Bible to school altogether.

A month later, Ortiz was suspended for 10 days after he defended himself against a student who allegedly kicked his iPad out of his hands. The aggressor, on the other hand, reportedly never faced disciplinary action.

https://www.christianheadlines.com

New California Bill Would Legalize Infanticide by Permitting ‘Perinatal Death,’ Pro-Lifers Say

Michael Foust – March 24, 2022

A new California bill backed by prominent leaders would permit infanticide by legalizing “perinatal death,” a medical phrase that includes the time after birth, pro-life activists are warning.

Supporters of the bill, AB 2223, say it would ensure that pregnant women cannot be prosecuted for an abortion, miscarriage or stillbirth. The bill’s language, though, extends beyond those three categories, critics say.

Specifically, AB 2223 says “a person shall not be subject to civil or criminal liability or penalty” due to their “miscarriage, stillbirth, or abortion, or perinatal death.”

Further, the bill protects anyone “who aids or assists a pregnant person in exercising their rights under this” bill.

Merriam-Webster defines “perinatal death” as “occurring in, concerned with, or being in the period around the time of birth.” A 2005 article in the Journal of Epidemiology and Community Health defined perinatal as the “time period starting at 22 completed weeks (154 days) gestation and lasting through seven days after birth.”

AB 2223 was named a priority bill by the California Future of Abortion Council, which California Gov. Gavin Newsom supports. The council lists Newsom as a participant. Members of the council include Planned Parenthood and NARAL Pro-Choice California.

“Although definitions of ‘perinatal death’ vary, all of them include the demise of newborns seven days or more after birth,” Greg Burt of the California Family Council wrote in a blog on the organization’s website.

The bill, Burt said, would “codify the killing of unborn children throughout all nine months of pregnancy but to decriminalize killing newborns days or even weeks after birth.”

https://www.christianheadlines.com

Pastor Warns About Disney Pixar’s New Film “Turning Red,” Says It’s Possibly “Demonic”

Elizabeth Johnston – March 21, 2022

Disney Pixar’s latest animated feature, “Turning Red,” has been turning many heads in the Christian community for the presence of several subtle and not-so-subtle themes in the movie that many warn parents should be aware of.

One New York pastor, Mike Signorelli, screened the movie to determine whether it would be appropriate for his own children to watch and shared his warning about the “dangerous” movie with CBN News’ Faithwire last week.

“I believe that every parent — not just a pastor, but a parent — has a mandate to actually screen material,” he told the outlet. “Because every single device you have in your home is a portal, either a window into the things of God or, unfortunately, things that I believe are demonic.”

“Within the first eight minutes, I was absolutely appalled,” he said.

A central theme in the movie is communication with the Chinese-American protagonists’ ancestors, which Signorelli noted is patently unbiblical. “Is it demonic?” he asks.

“We know in Hebrews 9:27, it’s appointed once to live and then to die and we face judgment, and it’s strictly forbidden, in the Christian context, to communicate with the dead,” he explained. “And so, even within the first eight minutes, you have chanting, communication with ancestors, and immediately a red flag should start to go off.”

The film, which centers around a 13-year-old girl who is torn between her parents’ high standards and the school friends they disapprove of, is being hailed by supportive critics at a fun, honest parable of female puberty as protagonist Ming starts turning into a giant red panda whenever she gets excited.

The themes of challenging parental authority as well as subtle implications that one of Ming’s friends experiences same-sex attraction have been highlighted by concerned conservative critics, yet as Singnorelli noted, the point at which the young woman defiantly declares “my panda, my choice” seems like an overt nod to the pro-abortion movement.

Bear in mind, this is an animated film that is rated PG, classified as a “family” movie, and largely marketed towards younger audiences.

https://elizabethjohnston.org

Ukraine war is veering fast towards a big power conflict

Debkafiles – March 17, 2022

“Unacceptable and unforgivable,” was the Kremlin’s response to the US president’s branding of Vladimir Putin as “a war criminal,” on Wednesday, March 16. Incensed rather than cowed by sanctions and international condemnation, the Russian president is likely to double down on his war offensive against Ukraine – regardless of the spreading death, human misery and ravaged cities. An expanding confrontation therefore cannot be ruled out for the foreseeable future.

President Joe Biden spoke after the horror of Russia’s bombing of a theater in Mariupol where more than a thousand people including many children were sheltering against the constant shelling. The death toll is unknown as are the numbers still buried under the rubble while rescuers are prevented from reaching the scene.

Although the White House previously stopped short of accusing the Russians of war crimes in the Ukraine pending an investigation, President Joe Biden was now ready to say bluntly: “I think [Putin] is a war criminal.” His press secretary Jen Psaki said that Biden was “speaking from the heart” (not the head?). An investigation into war crimes was still underway, she said, aware that some form of due process is required for a charge of war crimes.

The president, however, did not stop at oratory. The $800 m military aid package he approved for Ukraine reportedly included 100 kamikaze drones, apparently referring to Switchblade 300 or Switchblade 600. (See photo.) The former can pinpoint strikes on personnel and the latter aims to destroy tanks and armored vehicles. The Switchblades are essentially robotic smart bombs equipped with cameras, guidance systems and explosives. They can be programmed to strike targets miles away and hover over objectives until ordered to strike.

The US aid package will also include 800 anti-aircraft systems, 9,000 anti-armor systems and 20 million rounds of ammunition.

Moscow was seen in Washington as expanding its targets beyond the Ukraine border with the assault by 30 Russian cruise missiles on the large Ukrainian Yavrov military facility outside Lviv near the Polish border. The Russian defense ministry said that the air strike destroyed a large quantity of weapons supplied by foreign nations and that the Yavrov base had long been used to train Ukrainian military personnel, often with instructors from the United States and other NATO countries. For Putin, this Ukrainian base embodied his complaint that NATO had expanded to Eastern Europe close to Russian territory.

https://www.debka.com

Biden signs order on cryptocurrency as its use explodes

– March 9, 2022

WASHINGTON — President Joe Biden on Wednesday signed an executive order on government oversight of cryptocurrency that urges the Federal Reserve to explore whether the central bank should jump in and create its own digital currency.

Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen said the effort would “promote a fairer, more inclusive, and more efficient financial system” while countering illicit finance and preventing risks to financial stability and national security.

The Biden administration views the explosive popularity of cryptocurrency as an opportunity to examine the risks and benefits of digital assets, said a senior administration official who previewed the order Tuesday on the condition of anonymity, terms set by the White House.

Under the executive order, Biden also directed the Treasury Department and other federal agencies to study the impact of cryptocurrency on financial stability and national security.

Brian Deese and Jake Sullivan, Biden’s top economic and national security advisers, respectively, said the order establishes the first comprehensive federal digital assets strategy for the United States.

“That will help position the U.S. to keep playing a leading role in the innovation and governance of the digital assets ecosystem at home and abroad, in a way that protects consumers, is consistent with our democratic values and advances U.S. global competitiveness,” Deese and Sullivan said Wednesday in a joint statement.

https://www.twincities.com

Major M7.4 earthquake hits near the coast of Fukushima Prefecture, Japan

– March 16, 2022

A major earthquake registered by the Japan Meteorological Agency (JMA) as M7.4 hit near the coast of Fukushima Prefecture at 14:36 UTC (23:36 JTC) on March 16, 2022. The agency is reporting a depth of 60 km (37 miles). USGS is reporting M7.3 at a depth of 33 km (20 miles), EMSC M7.2 at a depth of 80 km (49 miles). The quake was preceded by M6.4 at 14:34 UTC at a depth of 56 km (35 miles).

The epicenter was located about 66 km (41 miles) ENE of Namie (population 21 866), Fukushima and 96 km (59 miles) SE of Sendai (population 1 063 103), Miyagi, Japan.

There are about 1.8 million people living within 100 km (62 miles).

JMA has issued a Tsunami Advisory for the Fukushima and Miyagi prefectures, with waves up to 1 m (3.3 feet) expected. A Tsunami Forecast is in effect for most of Japan’s eastern coastal areas.

2 046 000 people are estimated to have felt very strong shaking, 3 200 000 strong and 7 379 000 moderate.

The USGS issued a Green alert for shaking-related fatalities. There is a low likelihood of casualties.

A Yellow alert was issued for economic losses. Some damage is possible and the impact should be relatively localized. Estimated economic losses are less than 1% of GDP of Japan. Past events with this alert level have required a local or regional level response.

Overall, the population in this region resides in structures that are resistant to earthquake shaking, though vulnerable structures exist. The predominant vulnerable building types are heavy wood frame and reinforced/confined masonry construction.

Recent earthquakes in this area have caused secondary hazards such as tsunamis, landslides and fires that might have contributed to losses.

Updates

The earthquake has left 4 people dead and more than 160 injured. (Mainichi)

The quake caused power outages in northeastern and eastern Japan, affecting a total of more than 2.2 million households, including some 700 000 in Tokyo. Power was later restored to most of the affected citizens.

The country’s nuclear regulator said data show no abnormalities with reactors and facilities at the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power plant, although the cooling system for the spent fuel pools at the No. 2 and No. 5 reactors temporarily stopped. Cooling systems for spent fuel pools at the Fukushima Daini nuclear power plant and the Onagawa nuclear plant in Miyagi were also affected before recovering.

A Tohoku Shinkansen bullet train derailed between Fukushima Station and Shiroishizao Station, but all 78 passengers and crew members aboard were unharmed, according to East Japan Railway Co.

Relatively small tsunami waves were observed at Ishinomaki port in Miyagi and other locations.

https://watchers.news

Lone star tick, linked to Heartland virus, has now spread to 6 states in the US

Ricky Scaparo – March 17, 2022

Ticks carrying a mysterious and rare virus that can sicken or even kill older adults or people with underlying conditions have been found in at least six states, a new study reported Wednesday.

Test samples revealed that lone star ticks in Georgia had picked up the Heartland virus, Emory University researchers reported in Emerging Infectious Diseases, a Centers for Disease Control and Prevention publication.

“We want to bring awareness rather than panic,” said Gonzalo M. Vazquez-Prokopec, a co-author of the study and an associate professor of environmental sciences at Emory. “People tend to go out more in the spring and they might get exposed to ticks, which are increasing rapidly, particularly in the South, this time of year.”

Not much is yet known about the Heartland virus, which when transmitted to a person by a tick bite can cause fever, fatigue, decreased appetite, headache, nausea, diarrhea, and muscle or joint pain. It’s unclear if other ticks can also spread the virus or if people can be infected in other ways, the CDC said.

As of January 2021, just 50 cases of the disease caused by the virus have been reported, according to the CDC. In severe cases, patients have ended up in the hospital and while most have fully recovered with supportive care, a few older individuals with medical conditions have died, the CDC reported.

Some people infected with the virus have been diagnosed with lower than normal white blood cell counts and lower than normal counts of platelets, which aid in blood clotting. Liver function tests can show increased levels of liver enzymes, which can indicate illness.

The Heartland virus was discovered in 2009 in northwest Missouri after two men were hospitalized with symptoms including high fevers, diarrhea, and muscle pains. The virus has been reported in lone star ticks from Missouri, Alabama, Illinois, Kansas, and New York, although it’s unknown if the virus has spread to other areas of the U.S., according to the CDC.

https://endtimeheadlines.org

Greece: Muslim Migrants Desecrate and ‘Turn into Toilets’ 2,339 Churches

Raymond Ibrahim – March 14, 2022

According to a new report published by Greece’s Ministry of Education and Religious Affairs, there were 2,339 incidents of church desecrations in the country between 2015 and 2020, when tiny Greece, seen as Europe’s eastern gateway, was flooded with migrants from the Islamic world.  As the Greek City Times writes in regards to the report, “There appears to be a correlation between the increase in illegal migration and the incidents of attacks on Greek Orthodox religious churches and religious spaces during the five year period which occurred during the peak of the migration crisis.”

Of the most recent year in the recording period, 2020, there were 385 incidents against Christian churches and buildings, including “vandalism, burglary, theft, sacrilege, necromancy, robbery, placement of explosive devices and other desecrations.”

Over the years, a few of these desecrations made it to English language media.

In April 2021, Muslim migrants entered into and utterly desecrated a small church.  Proud of their handiwork, they also videotaped portions of the incident and uploaded it on TikTok (available here).  It shows a topless migrant dancing to rap music as he walks towards and inside the church.  The next clip shows the aftermath: devastation inside the church, with smashed icons and the altar overthrown.

In 2020, Muslim migrants ransacked and transformed another church into their personal toilet. This public restroom was once the St. Catherine Church in Moria, a small town on the island of Lesvos, which was flooded with migrants who arrived via Turkey. “The smell inside is unbearable,” said a local. “[T]he metropolitan of Mytilene is aware of the situation in the area, nevertheless, he does not wish to deal with it for his own reasons.”

While there are many such examples from between 2015-2020—in 2016, the Church of All Saints in Kallithea near Athens was set aflame by “Arabic speakers”—historically conscious Greeks see a continuum in the Islamic targeting of their churches.  As one report on the desecration of Greek churches explains,

We should remember that Greece spent 400 years under Turkish Islamic rule and that the fight for freedom was bloody.  With that in mind it is even more dramatic seeing these images of fighting age migrants desecrating Greek holy places and having no respect for the country they are allegedly seeking refuge in.

https://www.frontpagemag.com

Lawmakers now consider legalizing letting babies up to a month old die

Bob Unruh – March 9, 2022

Every few months or years, some extremist brings up the idea of allowing abortion after birth.

It’s relatively easy to discard when some loner at a university on the other side of the world discusses a wild-eyed plan.

Or when, as WND has reported, paramedics in one region of Belgium say it would be all right to end the life of a baby born with a “serious” defect.

That’s been a recurring theme, with medical ethicists Francesca Minerva and Alberto Guibilini in 2012 claiming doctors “should be allowed to end the lives of disabled, and even unwanted, newborn babies because they are not ‘actual persons.'”

“If a mother is in labor, I can tell you exactly what would happen. The infant would be delivered. The infant would be kept comfortable. The infant would be resuscitated if that’s what the mother and the family desired, and then a discussion would ensue between the physicians and the mother,” he said, alluding to a discussion about whether an infant should be allowed to live or die.Now, however, there’s a real warning from the American Center for Law and Justice that an American state is considering the idea.

According to the team of legal experts, “The Maryland legislative session is in full swing, and once again, abortion advocates are pushing their radical abortion agenda. Recently, we told you about the testimony we presented against Maryland House Bill 1171, which is attempting to codify Roe v. Wade in the Maryland constitution. Now, we’re preparing to submit testimony on Maryland Senate Bill 669 – also known as the Pregnant Person’s Freedom Act of 2022.”

That bill, at first glance, looks like it simply changes “woman” to “pregnant person” in its references.

But its provisions to prevent a “pregnant person” from being investigated for “terminating or attempting to terminate” her own pregnancy is where the plan gets lethal.”The bill also proposes a revision of the fetal murder/manslaughter statute that would serve to handcuff the investigation of infant deaths unrelated to abortion. In other words – this bill will effectively legalize infanticide,” the ACLJ reported.

https://www.wnd.com

Video: Pete Buttigieg’s husband, Chasten, leads children in a pledge of allegiance to the LGBTQ flag, dresses potatoes as drag queens

Paul Sacca – March 10, 2022

A video clip of Chasten Buttigieg – the husband of Pete Buttigieg – leading children in a pledge to the LGBTQ flag has resurfaced and recently gone viral on social media.

Chasten was a guest counselor at the Iowa Safe Schools’ Pride Camp in July 2019.

The husband of President Joe Biden’s transportation secretary is seen on video leading children in a pledge to the rainbow flag – which is a symbol of lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, and queer pride.

Log Cabin Republicans of Richmond – the “city’s first and only group dedicated to representing LGBTQ conservatives and straight allies who support fairness, freedom, and equality for all Americans” – shared the controversial clip on Twitter.

“I pledge my heart to the rainbow of the not-so-typical gay camp,” Chasten says in the same cadence as when reciting the American Pledge of Allegiance. “One camp, full of pride, indivisible, with affirmation and equal rights for all.”

Then Chasten waves the LGBTQ flag above the heads of the teens – who put their rights hands over their hearts in the same manner as when pledging allegiance to the United States of America.

Culture Catch – a website that covers music, literature, film, art, and theater – reported that Chasten also participated in an activity of dressing potatoes up as drag queens at the camp with the minors.

The video clip is from the “Mayor Pete” documentary that was released by Amazon Prime in November 2021 and followed Pete Buttigieg’s failed presidential run in 2020.

https://www.theblaze.com