Pennsylvania Governor Josh Shapiro will veto his own campaign promise of school choice and abandon his push for private school vouchers in an effort to get the state budget passed through the legislature.

On Wednesday, Shapiro acknowledged that "the two chambers will not reach consensus at this time to enact" his voucher proposal, also known as the Pennsylvania Award for Student Success (PASS) scholarship program.

Knowing that legislators are "unwilling to hold up our entire budget process over this issue," the governor will "line-item veto the full $100 million appropriation," including PASS, a spokesperson for Shapiro's office told Newsweek.

Shapiro's support for school choice was a rare policy position for a Democrat. Although many Republicans have been vocal proponents and campaigned on a platform backing education alternatives to public schools, opponents argue that expanding school choice hurts public schools because it takes away from public funding, and disincentivizes parents from keeping their children enrolled in public schools.



While I have a multitude of issues with "School Choice/School Voucher"-style programs (largely based on observations of how they've worked out in the past), I thought that story highlights just how much stroke the teachers unions have...where they can make a guy line item veto his own idea.

As I noted, school voucher programs have a ton of flaws, but I find the level of power and influence the teachers unions have equally concerning. Where they flex their "influence-muscle" to squash alternative ideas, while failing to acknowledge that they're complicit in the climate that has caused those alternatives ideas to gain popularity in the first place, I question how sincere their objections to this was.

Was it really because of the fact that it was a bad idea?
Or was it much more shallow and just a case where it could impact their own bottom line and water down their level of power and influence and that's why they didn't like it?

Now, I know one of the first questions will be "If the school choice/voucher program is bad, why do their motives for shooting it down matter if the outcome was net positive?"
Glad you asked

The motives matter because if it's the latter scenario, that means that they'll do the same in the future even if an alternative idea is good and not related to school vouchers. Someone "doing the right thing, but for the wrong reasons" always give me some concerns.

The lawsuit says Basabe made repeated lewd sexual comments and advances toward a legislative aide and an intern, slapped the aide’s butt without his consent while they attended an elementary school career day, and groped and tried to kiss a Florida State University graduate student in a car before hiring him as an intern.

Basabe, 45, is a former New York socialite who appeared on reality TV shows in the mid-2000s.

Basabe is married to the heiress of the La Perla lingerie fortune, Martina Borgomanero, and has publicly avoided questions about his own sexual orientation since being elected.

Basabe attacked [one of the men] in a lengthy statement on social media, decrying a “false accusation” made by “lazy, entitled, unscrupulous, self-involved, ungrateful, lying scum.”

Attorneys for Frevola and Cutbirth said they will also be filing separate complaints for each of them with the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission seeking a formal investigation.

The 49th parallel is often used as a synonym for the border between the U.S. and Canada. However, more than 70% of Canadians actually live south of this line. (Credit: Unofficial Networks)

Reject your Mental Map Oversimplifications

• Wait: New York is west of Santiago, Chile on South America’s west coast?
• And Canada extends as far south as California, Barcelona, and Rome?
• These are just two examples of Mental Map Oversimplifications (MMOs), and there are plenty more.

Most Canadians live south of Seattle,” my editor Alex writes. “You probably knew this, but have you ever done a map on that?” I’m pretty sure I have, some years ago on the Strange Maps Facebook page. As I try to locate that particular post, it gets me thinking about other examples of this phenomenon.

Other examples include the counterintuitive fact that Canada extends as far south as California, and the equally unexpected fact that New York City, on the east coast of North America, is actually located to the west of Chile’s capital Santiago, on South America’s west coast.

Just a few articles ago, I wrote about the original sin of cartography: We expect maps to tell us the truth, but they can’t help lying to us. The examples above don’t fit in that mold. These misconceptions are not the maps’ fault — they’re on us. Why? Because we suffer from Mental Map Oversimplification (MMO). That’s not a real thing like a personality disorder; I just made it up. But it’s still true.


We don’t scrutinize maps. We skim them, remembering what is simple and useful for our understanding of the world rather than what is precise and complex.

True North, strong and free​

Continued below.

Critics on the right accused the center of seeking to appease the transgender lobby by promoting medically inaccurate information, arguing that biological males cannot nurse babies no matter how they identify.

“Biden’s #CDC now issuing guidance on how ‘men’ can ‘chestfeed,’” tweeted Texas state Rep. Brian Harrison. “The only ‘science’ they’re following is political science.”

Tony Perkins, president of the Family Research Council, said, “President Biden’s policies risk the lives of children to advance the fantasies of confused adults.”

“How far will the Biden administration’s agenda go? If a president had proposed this just a decade ago, it would have prompted the use of Article 25,” said Mr. Perkins, referring to the U.S. Constitution’s procedures for replacing a president due to death, resignation or incapacitation.

A group of Satanists plans to crash a Christian evangelical event in Washington state featuring musician Sean Feucht, with a ceremony featuring “unbaptisms” where ashes of an incinerated Bible are dabbed on a person’s forehead.

Ms. Coffin, who said she uses a pseudonym to protect her job as a health care worker, said Mr. Feucht “tends to border [on] pretty hateful things, especially against the trans community. A lot of our members are trans [and] LGBTQ, so it’s really important to us to be there and just offer that alternative and those gender-affirming rituals as well as unbaptisms and just show Olympia and our community that we’re there for them.”


Why am I not surprised that LGBTQ and Satanists are working together to undermine Christian messages?

I am planning to leave my wife shortly. Our relationship has become vicious and intolerable. Please pray for this situation

The Biden administration approved the transfer of cluster munitions to Ukraine on Friday, sparking concern from human rights groups and some congressional lawmakers over the weapon’s ability to harm civilians and children long after the bombs have fallen.

Cluster munitions are dropped by aircraft or fired by a ground-based weapons system over a target area, spreading out a few dozen to hundreds of submunitions. The weapons are valued militarily because they can strike multiple targets.


But the weapons are banned by more than 100 countries because the submunitions spread out imprecisely, often fail to detonate and remain as explosive hazards for decades.

Washington’s green light to deliver the cluster munitions to Kyiv comes as Ukrainian forces are expending high rates of ammunition and are making slow progress in the counteroffensive that began last month.

Alternate link from CNN



And a follow up from the White House

We say from a good heart comes good deeds. Is it then the case good deeds give you a good heart? Thoughts?

But the things that proceed out of the mouth come from the heart, and those defile the man. For out of the heart come evil thoughts, murders, adulteries, fornications, thefts, false witness, slanders. These are the things which defile the man ...
— Matthew 15:18-20

The good man out of the good treasure of his heart brings forth what is good; and the evil man out of the evil treasure brings forth what is evil; for his mouth speaks from that which fills his heart.
— Luke 6:45

But the Lord said to him, “Now you Pharisees clean the outside of the cup and of the platter; but inside of you, you are full of robbery and wickedness. You foolish ones, did not He who made the outside make the inside also? But give that which is within as charity, and then all things are clean for you.
— Luke 11:39-41

Hi Everyone,

This thread is basically a continuation of this discussion from the Sabbath and the Law.

Everyone welcome to participate, of course

Was Ellen a fulfillment of this prophecy found in Joel 2?

If prophecy "...is an identifying mark of the remnant church...", who besides Ellen is demonstrating it? The prophecy in Joel makes it sound like it's a lot of people.

I will update this post, when I have time, but the title is self explanatory.
Read what the torah says, and see what opportunity there is for us next week to unite the divide.

Proverbs 15:24 The way of life is above to the wise, that he may depart from hell beneath.

Colossians 3:
1 If then you were raised with Christ, seek those things which are above,
where Christ is, sitting at the right hand of God.
2 Set your mind on things above, not on things on the earth.
3 For you died, and your life is hidden with Christ in God.
4 When Christ who is our life appears, then you also will appear with Him in glory.

+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

Proverbs 6:23 For the commandment is a lamp and the law a light;
Reproofs of instruction are the way of life.

John 8:12 Then Jesus spoke to them again, saying,
I am the light of the world. He who follows Me shall not walk in darkness, but have the light of life.

John 12:
35 Then Jesus said unto them, Yet a little while is the light with you. Walk while ye have the light, lest darkness come upon you:
for he that walketh in darkness knoweth not whither he goeth.
36 While ye have light, believe in the light, that ye may be the children of light.

John 3:
19 And this is the condemnation, that the light has come into the world, and men loved darkness
rather than light, because their deeds were evil.
20 For everyone practicing evil hates the light and does not come to the light, lest his deeds should be exposed.
21 But he who does the truth comes to the light, that his deeds may be clearly seen, that they have been done in God.

++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

Proverbs 10:17 He who keeps instruction is in the way of life,
But he who refuses correction goes astray.

Hebrews 12:
5 And ye have forgotten the exhortation which speaks unto you as unto children, My son, despise not thou
the chastening of the Lord, nor faint when thou art rebuked of him:
6 For whom the Lord loveth he chasteneth, and scourgeth every son whom he receiveth.
7 If ye endure chastening, God dealeth with you as with sons; for what son is he whom the father chasteneth not?
8 But if ye be without chastisement, whereof all are partakers, then are ye bastards, and not sons.
9 Furthermore we have had fathers of our flesh which corrected us, and we gave them reverence: shall we not
much rather be in subjection unto the Father of spirits, and live?
10 For they verily for a few days chastened us after their own pleasure; but he for our profit, that we might be partakers of his holiness.
11 Now no chastening for the present seems to be joyous, but grievous: nevertheless afterward it yields the peaceable fruit
of righteousness unto them which are exercised thereby.

++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

Jeremiah 21:8 Now you shall say to this people, Thus says the Lord:
Behold, I set before you the way of life and the way of death.

Hebrews 5:
8 Though he were a Son, yet learned he obedience by the things which he suffered;
9 And being made perfect, he became the author of eternal salvation unto all them that obey him.

2 Peter 2:
20 For if, after they have escaped the pollution of the world through the knowledge of the Lord and Savior Jesus Christ,
they are again entangled in them and overcome, the latter end is worse for them than the beginning.
21 For it would have been better for them not to have known the way of righteousness, than having known it,
to turn from the holy commandment delivered to them.

Most American media is controlled by Democrats.

So we need some Democrats in the Catholic Church.

We need women priests.

Romans 3:31 Do we then make void the law through faith? Certainly not! On the contrary, we establish the law.

Establish-[G2476] histemi=set, stand, make stand, establish

Romans 5:
1 Therefore, having been justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ,
2 through whom also we have access by faith into this grace in which we stand, and rejoice in hope of the glory of God.

Romans 10:
3 For they being ignorant of God’s righteousness, and seeking to establish their own righteousness,
have not submitted to the righteousness of God.
4 For Christ is the end of the law for righteousness to everyone who believes.

Ephesians 6:
10 Finally, my brethren, be strong in the Lord, and in the power of his might.
11 Put on the whole armor of God, that ye may be able to stand against the wiles of the devil.
12 For we wrestle not against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers,
against the rulers of the darkness of this world, against spiritual wickedness in high places.
13 Wherefore take unto you the whole armor of God, that ye may be able to withstand in the evil day,
and having done all, to stand.

I posted this in a "Christians Only" forum because the idea is not to incite Bible bashing. We, Christians, love the Bible and frequently give Bibles to non-Christians. The Gideons have done this for decades. Is this the right approach? Or are non-Christians likely to misunderstand and reject the Bible based on that misunderstanding?

Nearly 4 decades ago, Despite my academic success, I felt there was something missing in my life. But I didn't know what it was. There were a few Christians on campus who kept bugging me about Jesus. Initially, I was polite and ignored them. But one guy, my housemate, Will, was persistent, so I told him, "There are two kinds of Christians: the dumb kind and the ugly kind. You are the exception: you are both." That didn't stop him and my insults on him and Christianity continued daily.

After many failed attempts by Will to convince me of Jesus, one day he said to me, "Tony, this is the last time I am going to talk to you about Jesus."

(I was thinking in my head: Why? I was just starting to enjoy my superior intellect over your puny arguments.)

I replied, "Why? Failures haven't stopped you before. Most Christians are either dumb or ugly and you are both." He ignored my insults as usual and said, "because I am leaving on Monday."

"Where are you going?"

"To Toronto to marry my fiancée"

I knew about her from talking with him before. I said to him, "Friend, don't do it. She doesn't love you as I told you many times before. She is not even really your fiancée. A couple does not have an engagement for 2 years without seeing each other. You're a landscape worker. She is not interested in you. You will be disappointed. Don't go, my friend."

"I don't want to talk about that with you. I want to talk to you about Jesus. Before I leave you, I'd like you to go to church with me."

"Will, I feel sorry for you. If it makes you happy, I will go to church with you Sunday evening."

We walked to Brunswick Street Baptist Church. We sat down. Someone started to play the piano. To my great surprise! Yes, great surprise! She was playing my village-school school-song. What! How! At 23 years old in Canada, I was listening to the tune of my school song that I sang every weekday in a village in Hong Kong when I was 7 years old. What the heck was going on?

No surprise during the sermon. After that, Will and I attended the College and Career program post-service. Nothing unusual.

Next week, Will left for Toronto. For some strange reason, I kept going back to the church every Sunday morning and evening. I guess the girls weren't as ugly as I thought after all

Why is the age of the earth an important matter to you (if it is)?

What is the most important thing that knowing the age of the earth will tell you?

There is a physical kind and there is a spiritual kind.

The first kind of Sabbath rest was periodic, Exodus 34:

Every Sabbath day (Friday sundown to Saturday sundown), the Israelites were commanded to cease physical labor.

The second kind of Sabbath rest is quite different, Hebrew 4:

It is a permanent spiritual resting state of being, Psalm 95:

They knew the first kind of Sabbath rest. They practiced it every week. Yet,

But they did not attain to the second kind of Sabbath rest.

Strong's Hebrew: 4496. מְנוּחָה (menuchah or menuchah) — 22 Occurrences

Brown-Driver-Briggs:

1. resting-place …
2. rest (from enemies) = peace 1 Kings 8:56 (compare 1 Kings 5:18), ׳אִישׁ מ 1 Chronicles 22:9 a man of peace (compare הֵנִיחַ vb);

H4496 can mean peace and rest. It is a state of being, Isaiah 28:

It was not a resting time.

Jeremiah 6:

That's different from rest for your physical body.

Jesus spoke in Matthew 11:

The physical Sabbath rest is only a type of the spiritual true-type of Sabbath rest. We come to the true Sabbath peace and rest by coming to Jesus.

Mark 16:

The great commission is the context.


Is water baptism optional?

No, believers are commanded to be baptized. Belief and baptism go hand in hand together. Jesus commanded us to spread the good news and baptize people who believe. Looking at baptism as an outward sign of salvation accompanied by inward repentance and faith, then baptism does save.


Belief is the key to salvation, not baptism. It does not say: He who believes and is not baptized will be condemned.

When a person believes, he should be baptized as soon as possible. Belief and baptism are a tightly knitted pair. If a person claims to believe but refuses to be baptized, then there is something wrong with his understanding of salvation.

Does baptism save?

Looking at baptism as an outward ritualistic work, it does not save anyone. However, looking at baptism as a sign of inward repentance and faith, then it does confirm salvation. God often uses external (physical) appearance to symbolize internal (spiritual) reality. In any case, you have to repent of your sins.

This past weekend there was a situation with in-law relatives that involved our daughter potentially attending a protestant church (covenant baptist?).
Our daughter was staying at the relatives for the week through Sunday, so naturally church attendance came up. We coordinated with a good friend of ours from that town who is Orthodox, to come pick her up to take her to my wife's old Orthodox parish.

Well, our sister-in-law (whom our daughter was staying the week with) protested that she could just take her to her (protestant) church. My wife informed her that we don't go to Protestant churches (I added that we can't even pray with them). She found it "very concerning" that we couldn't even go to a protestant church and accused EO of being a cult, etc.

At the time, I didn't know exactly why we couldn't attend hetero services, so I explained that it serves as a temptation for us to fall into pride by attending hetero services (because once you experience the Divine Liturgy, all other church services feel significantly lacking and less reverent). I explained using history of the church and how we don't even accept Protestant denominations as being "one of many expressions of christianity" and that EO is the church from the beginning and we never were a part of the Reformation, so their "invisible church" doctrine doesn't even apply to us, etc. She mentioned concern for pedocommunion and that she was worried about "wine" being given to infants, but thanks be to God we steered her away from further talk of the Holy Mysteries, whether we knew what we were doing or not. I later learned that we should try to prevent further blasphemies by the uninitiated by not talking about the Holy Mysteries with heterodox's. We didn't know that at the time, and thanks to God, He guided us to keep our explanations in the Church history realm.

I later read that the reason we can't attend hetero services or even pray with hetero's is because by doing so, we would tacitly be affirming their version of Christianity as "equal" to ours and this gives them a "good uneasiness."

Is there any other reason why we can't go to hetero churches?

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s official website published advice for trans and non-binary individuals on seeking guidance on how to “chestfeed” their infants.

In sections of the major health institute’s guidance on breastfeeding, it contained information for those who have had much of their breasts removed in gender-reassignment surgeries, or for biological men taking hormones to grow breasts, on how to feed their newborn children.

However, several doctors criticized the guidance, not simply because CDC has appeared to guide biological men in how to breastfeed children, but because they claimed the CDC has failed to gauge the risks posed to children drinking milk produced by chemicals used in gender-reassignment medical operations.

In the CDC website’s section on “Health Equity Considerations” – found under its “Infant and Young Child Feeding Toolkit,” the center declared that “Transgender and nonbinary-gendered individuals may give birth and breastfeed or feed at the chest (chestfeed).”

It also stated that “The gender identity or expression of transgender individuals is different from their sex at birth,” and that, “the gender identity of nonbinary-gendered individuals does not fit neatly into either man or woman.”

Under the CDC website’s section on “Breast Feeding,” specifically an entry covering breastfeeding for those who have undergone breast surgery, the institute mentioned “chestfeeding.”

Continued below.

My wife, Linda, is having pain in her teeth and she is concerned about a possible infection. Please pray for her.

L. Lin Wood, Lawyer Who Tried to Overturn Trump’s 2020 Loss, Gives Up License​

L. Lin Wood, one of the key lawyers who sought to overturn former President Donald J. Trump’s 2020 election loss and faced potential disciplinary action in Georgia as a result, opted to give up his law license in the state.

Mr. Wood officially requested that the State Bar of Georgia transfer his attorney status to “retired” on July 4, according to a letter he posted on the messaging platform Telegram. The request was approved, and two pending disciplinary charges against him were dropped, according to a letter from Georgia’s Office of the General Counsel that Mr. Wood also posted to Telegram.

Mr. Wood wrote on Telegram that the bar had “agreed to drop the disciplinary cases” if he retired from the profession. The letters Mr. Wood posted on Telegram specified that his request was “unqualified, irrevocable and permanent” and that Mr. Wood could not practice law in any state.

Trump's lawyers either go to jail, have their license suspended, or face disbarment. Or Trump refuses to pay them. I wonder what conclusions can be drawn from this.

Republican attorneys general from 25 states are warning the Biden administration that a proposal to force carmakers to go electric in the name of fighting climate change is unlawful,


the attorneys general wrote to the EPA in a letter released Thursday under the proposal’s public comment period. “Congress did not give EPA that power.”

Just wondering how folks feel about being successful as a believer.

Big picture in mind is it to leave an inheritance - if so what kind of inheritance?

Is it being faithful in your 'small corner' ??

Is it discovering His purpose for you and walking in it ?

Is it being successful in relationships?

Is it none of the above?

Is there something to achieve?

How are you doing with this and are you happy with the outcome?