1 Samuel 16:

10 Jesse had seven of his sons pass by Samuel. But Samuel said to him, "The LORD has not chosen any of these." 11 Then he asked Jesse, "Are these all the sons you have?" Jesse answered, "I still have the youngest son. (David) He is out taking care of the sheep."

Click to expand...

7 + 1 David = 8 sons

1 Chronicles 2:

13 Jesse was the father of Eliab his firstborn; the second son was Abinadab, the third Shimea, 14 the fourth Nethanel, the fifth Raddai, 15 the sixth Ozem and the seventh David.

Click to expand...

Gill mentions 3 possibilities:

But Jesse had eight sons, 1 Samuel 16:10, one of them therefore is not reckoned, either because he was by another woman, and the writer only mentions those that were of the same mother with David; this is the opinion of Aben Ezra and Kimchi;

Click to expand...

some say he was dead before David came to the kingdom;

Click to expand...

some take the eighth to be a grandson of Jesse

Click to expand...

Over a thousand religious pilgrims have died of heat stroke in Mecca, news outlets tell us.

I have not seen a cartoon of the oceans boiling but that would be far more accurate than most of the editorial cartoons that I do see.

The evidence of global warming is all around us, yet I am often stunned by the arrogance of those who deny that it exists. At the least, many deny that global warming is caused by human activity.

One of the lines we hear is that carbon dioxide is just a part of the atmosphere. It is always been there and so is nothing to worry about. It is beneficial to plants. This notion has just enough truth in it to be dangerous. Is CO2 always harmless?


Contrary to this cheerful picture, carbon dioxide actually has a “permissible exposure limit” in workplaces.

<< The levels of CO2 in the air and potential health problems are ...

• 2,000–5,000 ppm: level associated with headaches, sleepiness, and stagnant, stale, stuffy air. Poor concentration, loss of attention, increased heart rate and slight nausea may also be present.

5,000 ppm: this indicates unusual air conditions where high levels of other gases could also be present. Toxicity or oxygen deprivation could occur. This is the permissible exposure limit for daily workplace exposures. >>

From a different source:

<< At 4%, CO2 levels can be fatal. >>

Why is CO2 potentially fatal to humans? It triggers the exhale reflex in the lungs. Above a certain level of CO2, you can only exhale.

The connection between carbon dioxide and global warming is straightforward to anyone who knows anything about chemistry. Carbon dioxide is O=C=O, oxygen double bond carbon, double bond oxygen. The carbon-oxygen double bond absorbs infrared rays on a wavelength crucial to the earth’s climate. Machines are in use every day that make use of this fact, namely infrared spectrometers.



Links
Toxicity: Wisconsin Department of Health Services
https://www.dhs.wisconsin.gov/chemical/carbondioxide.htm#:~:text=5%2C000%20ppm%3A%20this%20indicates%20unusual,harmful%20due%20to%20oxygen%20deprivation

Fatal Level at 4%

Carbon Dioxide Levels Chart

Discover what safe, elevated, and dangerous CO2 levels mean with our carbon dioxide levels chart. Learn how CO2 impacts indoor air quality and when action is needed.

www.co2meter.com

Saul fought against the Philistines in 1 Samuel 31:

3 The battle pressed hard against Saul, and the archers found him, and he was badly wounded by the archers. 4Then Saul said to his armor-bearer, “Draw your sword, and thrust me through with it, lest these uncircumcised come and thrust me through, and mistreat me.” But his armor-bearer would not, for he feared greatly. Therefore Saul took his own sword and fell upon it. 5 And when his armor-bearer saw that Saul was dead, he also fell upon his sword and died with him. 6 Thus Saul died, and his three sons, and his armor-bearer, and all his men, on the same day together.

Click to expand...

According to this account, Saul killed himself. There was a witness: the armor-bearer. The narrator agreed with this account.

There is another account in 2 Samuel 1:

5Then David said to the young man who told him, “How do you know that Saul and his son Jonathan are dead?” 6 And the young man who told him said, “By chance I happened to be on Mount Gilboa, and there was Saul leaning on his spear, and behold, the chariots and the horsemen were close upon him. 7And when he looked behind him, he saw me, and called to me. And I answered, ‘Here I am.’ 8And he said to me, ‘Who are you?’ I answered him, ‘I am an Amalekite.’ 9 And he said to me, ‘Stand beside me and kill me, for anguish has seized me, and yet my life still lingers.’ 10 So I stood beside him and killed him, because I was sure that he could not live after he had fallen. And I took the crown that was on his head and the armlet that was on his arm, and I have brought them here to my lord.”

Click to expand...

According to the above, a young Amalekite killed Saul. The narrator reported his story without affirming it.

Who Killed Saul?

Possibility #1: Saul killed himself and the young Amalekite lied.

Possibility #2: Saul tried to kill himself. The armor-bearer presumed Saul was dead and killed himself. Finally, the Amalekite finished Saul at his request.

On balance, I'd go with Saul killing himself. As far as the narrator was concerned, there was no contradiction. I put a bit more weight on the narrator's perspective than on that of the young Amalekite.

Why did 1 Samuel and 2 Samuel present different accounts of Saul’s death?

In the original Hebrew manuscript, they were one book. The Book of Samuel was compiled from various sources, including oral traditions, court records, and prophetic accounts. The differing accounts of Saul's death reflected these different sources, each with its own perspective and emphasis. The first account emphasized Saul’s tragic end and divine judgment, while the second focused on David’s moral response and loyalty to Saul.

Zechariah 1:

1 In the eighth month, in the second year of Darius, the word of the LORD came to the prophet Zechariah, the son of Berechiah, son of Iddo.

Click to expand...

The above prophet was the only Zechariah son of Berechiah in the OT. His death was not recorded.

2 Ch 24:

20 Then the Spirit of God clothed Zechariah the son of Jehoiada the priest, and he stood above the people, and said to them, “Thus says God, ‘Why do you break the commandments of the LORD, so that you cannot prosper? Because you have forsaken the LORD, he has forsaken you.’” 21 But they conspired against him, and by command of the king they stoned him with stones in the court of the house of the LORD. 22 Thus Joash the king did not remember the kindness that Jehoiada, Zechariah’s father, had shown him, but killed his son. And when he was dying, he said, “May the LORD see and avenge!”

Click to expand...

Zechariah the son of Jehoiada was a well-known martyr in the OT. They killed him in the temple court.

Jesus spoke in Matthew 23:

35 "So upon you will come all the righteous blood that has been shed on earth, from the blood of righteous Abel to the blood of Zechariah son of Berekiah, whom you murdered between the temple and the altar.

Click to expand...

But there was no record of the death of Zechariah son of Berekiah in the OT.

Did Jesus actually say "Zechariah son of Berekiah"?

Maybe not. Some manuscripts of Matt 23:35 omitted "the son of Barachiah".

Parallel account, Luke 11:

51 from the blood of Abel to the blood of Zechariah, who perished between the altar and the sanctuary. Yes, I tell you, it will be required of this generation.

Click to expand...

Luke did not record "son of Barachiah".

Expositor's Greek Testament thought that the mistake in Matt 23:35 was committed "by inadvertence either of the evangelist or of an early copyist".

Zechariah 11:

12 I told them, “If you think it best, give me my pay; but if not, keep it.” So they paid me thirty pieces of silver. 13 And the Lord said to me, “Throw it to the potter”—the handsome price at which they valued me! So I took the thirty pieces of silver and threw them to the potter at the house of the Lord.

Click to expand...

Matthew 27:

9 Then what was spoken by Jeremiah the prophet was fulfilled: “They took the thirty pieces of silver, the price set on him by the people of Israel, 10 and they used them to buy the potter’s field, as the Lord commanded me.”

Click to expand...

It seems to me that Matthew was quoting from Zechariah and not Jeremiah.

The following is from Dottard:

This problem (Matt 27:9) is an old "chestnut". Various solutions have been proposed and I will not repeat all of them. So allow me to mention a few plausible explanations for this apparent discrepancy.

Jeremiah Did Say That

It should be observed that Matthew does not quote the Hebrew nor the LXX. His quote only resembles the general idea. Therefore, it is possible that he did not quote Zechariah but did actually quote Jeremiah, but what he quotes is nothing that Jeremiah actually wrote but only something that survived in an oral tradition. (In that form, perhaps Zechariah also quoted the same source??) Since then, the oral tradition has vanished and only Jeremiah's written legacy survives. (A similar phenomenon may also exist when Jude 14, 15 quotes the prophet Enoch - only Enoch's oral tradition survived at the time of Jude's writing.) See also 1 Chron 21:19, 2 Sam 12:25, etc.

Jeremiah did Write That

It is also possible that Jeremiah left more writings than just the book that has his name and Lamentations. It is possible that one of these other writings was still extant in the time of Matthew but has now been lost. There are numerous references to other works throughout the OT that no longer exist such as the Book of Jasher (Josh 10:13, 2 Sam 1:18); Nathan the Prophet (1 Chron 29:29, 2 Chron 9:29), and others.

Different Reference Method

It is also possible that in Matthew's day, each section of the OT was loosely called by the first book/prophet in that section. Certainly, Zechariah is in the section that begins with Jeremiah and so to quote something from the OT in the section of Jeremiah (which includes Zechariah) may be entirely understandable. Despite the logical "neatness" I still find this unsatisfying and not entirely convincing, because I cannot find many other places where this sort of thing occurs.

There are a number of other explanations in various quarters. Here is a sample.
http://www.ukapologetics.net/15/nomisquote.htm

“Katonda!”

This year, using the Traditional Missale Romanum, we celebrate today the Feast of St. Charles Lwanga. The decree Cum sanctissima allows for the celebration of Saints canonized after 1962 provided that the day is not some feast that would outweigh it.

If you don’t know this saint, be sure to read this. It is powerful.

Continued below.

After mistakenly leaking the decision before releasing the final ruling, the Supreme Court ruled on Thursday that Idaho hospitals must perform abortions in certain emergencies.

The 6-3 decision, issued in Moyle v. United States, means that Idaho hospitals are compelled to perform abortions, despite it being illegal in the state.

The decision hinged on the court’s interpretation of the Emergency Medical Treatment and Active Labor Act (EMTALA) that hospitals are required to provide abortions “when needed to stabilize a medical condition that seriously threatens a pregnant woman’s life or health.”

While Idaho law allows abortions only in cases to save the life of the mother, the court now holds that this is too narrow an exception.

Continued below.

The Vatican Dicastery for the Doctrine of the Faith announced Thursday that alleged apparitions of the Virgin Mary outside of Rome are not supernatural, upholding the local bishop’s ban on Masses and pilgrimages to the site.

The DDF communique on June 27 confirmed the legal validity of an Italian bishop’s decree that the supposed apparitions in Trevignano Romano, a town about 30 miles northwest of Rome on the shores of Lake Bracciano, are “not supernatural.”

It is one of the first known decisions from the Vatican’s doctrine office on Marian apparitions since the DDF issued new norms for discerning alleged apparitions last month.

The Vatican’s intervention is in regards to the claims by self-styled visionary Gisella Cardia and her husband, Gianni, who reported alleged apparitions of the Virgin Mary, Jesus, and God the Father.

Continued below.

An Armenian citizen has been sentenced to a decade in prison in Iran under accusations of proselytizing, which is considered illegal under the country’s strict religious laws.

His conviction was not based on evidence but on the judge’s “personal intuition,” per the Islamic Penal Code of Iran, which permits judicial decisions on mere suppositions of criminal activities.

Hakop Gochumyan was sentenced earlier this month despite no clear evidence, the Catholic outlet Asia News reported.

Continued below.

Media outlets have been ablaze with arguments for or against displaying the Ten Commandments in public classrooms. I’m actually more concerned about churches posting the Ten Commandments in their own buildings and classrooms.

Last week when Louisiana Governor Jeff Landry signed legislation requiring the posting of the Ten Commandments in every public classroom in his state, it set off a passionate debate about the place of those commandments in our schools. I thought to myself that before we get all hot and bothered about the place of these commandments in our nation’s schools, how about getting all hot and bothered about placing them in our churches? If I were the head of a denomination, I’d first double down on requiring every church to post the Ten Commandments. After all, churches are supposed to be a light to the world. Yet how many churches post these commandments, let alone post them in a prominent place, or use them in their worship services and liturgies?

The sad reality is that many churches don’t, and for various reasons. Many Protestants and evangelicals have forgotten their confessional heritage. Many have stopped intentionally catechizing their children with teaching tools that use the Ten Commandments. Some have slipped into antinomianism theologies that have no place for law. And rare is the church that refers to them on a Sunday morning, unless, perchance a pastor is preaching through Exodus or Deuteronomy. Consequently, many sons and daughters of the Christian church have lost both their ethical framework and distinctiveness. So, are we really going to insist that our secular school system does what we are not doing?

Continued below.

A family who recently converted to Christianity was brutally attacked in Chhattisgarh, India, leaving one woman dead.

On Monday, 22-year-old Bindu Sodhi and her family were preparing their field to sow rice when they were assaulted by a group of religious fanatics that included members of her extended family.

Sodhi’s mother, brother and younger sister escaped the attackers, but she was captured, repeatedly stabbed to death and left in the field.

Her family filed a complaint with the police, but sources say a case has yet to be officially registered. Sodhi’s body remains in the local morgue as her family awaits further proceedings.

Continued below.

People believe in a literal week of 24 hour days but no one can tell me when this week happened.

I have a very simple question. When did Genesis chapter one take place?

In 1658, Bishop James Ussher, an Anglican cleric and biblical scholar, wrote in his chronology "The Annals of the World" that the world began on October 23, 4004 BCE.

"In the beginning, God created heaven and earth, which beginning of time, according to this chronology, occurred at the beginning of the night which preceded the 23rd of October. If Adam was created on the SIXTH day that would be 23 plus 6 or Oct 29, 4004, So God rests for a day. Oct 30 then we see Adam in the Garden of Eden Oct 31 4004 BCE.

Genesis 2 7 "Then the LORD God formed man from the dust of the ground and breathed the breath of life into his nostrils, and the man became a living being.d"

So are we going back to Oct 29, 2004? Then we read: Genesis 2:8 "8And the LORD God planted a garden in Eden, in the east, where He placed the man He had formed. 9Out of the ground the LORD God gave growth to every tree that is pleasing to the eye and good for food. And in the middle of the garden were the tree of life and the tree of the knowledge of good and evil."

In Genesis 1 first God created the animals and then man. In Genesis chapter two first God created man and then He creates the animals. In Genesis chapter 1 Man was told to fill the earth and subdue "it". In Genesis chapter two man was told "15Then the LORD God took the man and placed him in the Garden of Eden to cultivate and keep it." So which is it? Fill the earth or cultivate the garden?

Next we are told: "18The LORD God also said, “It is not good for the man to be alone. I will make for him a suitable helper.” In chapter one we have male and female given the whole earth. In Chapter two we have a man and a women give the garden of eden. In chapter one the animals are created first, in chapter two man is created and then the animals and then Eve.

The Sixth Day

24And God said, “Let the earth bring forth living creatures according to their kinds: livestock, land crawlers, and beasts of the earth according to their kinds.” And it was so. 25God made the beasts of the earth according to their kinds, the livestock according to their kinds, and everything that crawls upon the earth according to its kind. And God saw that it was good.

26Then God said, “Let Us make man in Our image, after Our likeness, to rule over the fish of the sea and the birds of the air, over the livestock, and over all the earth itselfd and every creature that crawls upon it.”

27So God created man in His own image;

in the image of God He created him;

male and female He created them.e

28God blessed them and said to them, “Be fruitful and multiply, and fill the earth and subdue it; rule over the fish of the sea and the birds of the air and every creature that crawls upon the earth.”

29Then God said, “Behold, I have given you every seed-bearing plant on the face of all the earth, and every tree whose fruit contains seed. They will be yours for food. 30And to every beast of the earth and every bird of the air and every creature that crawls upon the earth—everything that has the breath of life in it—I have given every green plant for food.” And it was so.

31And God looked upon all that He had made, and indeed, it was very good.

And there was evening, and there was morning—the sixth day.

Lawmakers are demanding answers following multiple reports that the U.S. Department of Homeland Security has identified more than 400 illegal migrants brought to the United States through an Islamic State-affiliated human smuggling network, as the whereabouts of dozens of them are currently unknown.

The DHS identified over 400 migrants from various locations, including Central Asia, as "subjects of concern." According to an investigative report from NBC Tuesday, U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement seeks to arrest the migrants on immigration charges. While over 150 have been arrested, the location of over 50 migrants is unknown, three federal officials told the outlet.

The officials claimed that the over 400 migrants who crossed the southern border were not on the terrorist watchlist, which is why Customs and Border Protection released them into the U.S.

Continued below.

I prefer Real Clear Politics because it is inclusive across the spectrum.

Right now - hours before the debate:



Battleground states:

With all the talk about microphones being cut so the candidates cannot interrupt each other. I was thinking about the moderators. It is their job to ask the questions - not editorialize.

So I started this thread and every time the moderator asks a question and interrupts the candidate during his 2min reply. Simply write the candidates name in a simple post. We record it in real time then and we can compare the totals at the end.

Just an interesting experiment.

Plato thought so. Wiki:

Plato considered this essence to be an incorporeal, eternal occupant of a person's being. Plato said that even after death, the soul exists and is able to think. He believed that as bodies die, the soul is continually reborn (metempsychosis) in subsequent bodies.

Click to expand...

Plato thought the soul had no beginning and no end. I think all souls have a beginning. They are created by God.

Does the Bible say that human souls have an end?

Christians and philosophers have debated the issue for centuries. Here is my take:

Souls are mortal in two senses.

First, Ezekiel 18:

4 Behold, all souls are mine; the soul of the father as well as the soul of the son is mine: the soul who sins shall die.

Click to expand...

When a temporal life is finished, his soul or soul data is zipped up and stored. He no longer experiences the passage of time or consciousness.

Second, Matthew 10:

28 do not fear those who kill [G615] the body but cannot kill the soul.

Click to expand...

Kill the soul data.

Rather fear him who can destroy [G622] both soul and body in hell.

Click to expand...

destroy
Strong's 622: From apo and the base of olethros; to destroy fully, literally or figuratively.

The resurrected soul can be terminated/annihilated/deleted in the Lake of Fire, Revelation 20:

14 Then Death and Hades were thrown into the lake of fire. This is the second death, the lake of fire.

Click to expand...

The souls of the good people will be resurrected to live forever.

Is the human soul immortal?

Some are; some are not.

Which souls are immortal?

Those who believe in the gospel of Jesus. 2 Timothy 1:

10 It has now been revealed through the appearing of our Savior, Christ Jesus, who has destroyed death and has brought life and immortality to light through the gospel.

Click to expand...

The talking heads in mainstream media have psychologically manipulated us into thinking the economy is booming. This video shows that it is not and if you watch it be prepared to see a lot of charts as he talks about reasons home prices might decline. I posted this video because I was surprised at how many people held two full-time jobs, no wonder unemployment numbers have been low because more people are taking on two jobs. The Fed Reserve needs to change how it collects data because it's deceiving.

Login to view embedded media

Exactly what is the timing of Justification ? When is one for whom Christ died Justified before God ? John Gill gives reasons why he believes that the saint is Justified before God, from everlasting. I concur with his sentiment and here's why, and of course in ursuit it is reasonably concluded why Justification before God is before Faith:

1. Faith is not the cause, but the fruit and effect of justification. The reason why we are justified, is not because we have faith; but the reason why we have faith is because we are justified. Was there no such blessing of grace as justification of life provided for the sons of men, there would be no such thing as faith in Christ bestowed upon them, nor, indeed, would there be any use for it; and though it is provided, yet since not for all men, therefore all men have not faith. The reason why some do not believe, is, because they are not of Christ's sheep; (John 10:26) they never were chosen in him, nor justified by him, but are justly left in their sins, and so to condemnation; the reason why others do believe, is, because they are ordained to eternal life, (Acts 13:48) have a justifying righteousness provided for them, and are justified by it, and shall never enter into condemnation and, in asserting this, I say no more than what Dr. Twisse, the famous Prolocutor to the Assembly of Divines, has said before me. His words are these: "Before faith the righteousness of Christ was ours, being in the intention of God the Father, and Christ the Mediator, wrought out for us; and, because wrought out for us, therefore God, in his own time, gives us grace of every kind, and among others, faith itself, and, at last, the crown of heavenly glory." And, a little after, he says: "Before faith and repentance the righteousness of Christ is applied unto us; since it is on the account of that, that we obtain efficacious grace, to believe in Christ and repent." Likewise the judicious Pemble writes to the same effect, when, observing a two-fold justification, he says, the one is "In foro divino, in God's sight, and this goes before all our sanctification; for even whilst the elect are unconverted, they are then actually justified, and freed from all sin, by the death of Christ, and God so esteems of them as free, and, having accepted of that satisfaction, is actually reconciled to them. By this justification, we are freed from the guilt of our sins; and because that is done away, God, in due time, proceeds to give us the grace of sanctification, to free from sin's corruption still inherent in our persons." The other is, "In foro conscientiae, in their own sense, which is but the revelation and certain declaration of God's former secret act of accepting Christ's righteousness to our justification." And Maccovius says, "That because that God justifies us, therefore, he gives us faith, and other spiritual gifts." Now, if justification is the cause, and faith the effect; then, as every cause is before its effect, and every effect follows its own cause, justification must be before faith, and faith must follow justification.

Footage of three individuals abducted by Hamas on Oct. 7 shows hostages Hersh Goldberg-Polin, Or Levy and Eliya Cohen wounded and bleeding as they are forcibly taken to Gaza in a speeding pickup truck driven by the terrorists.

The families of the victims, alongside the Hostages and Missing Families Forum, released the footage to highlight the Israeli government's responsibility to secure a deal and bring the hostages home.

The terror group kidnapped Goldberg-Polin, Levy and Cohen from the field shelter they were hiding in after Hamas attacked the Nova Music Festival in Re'im during its Oct. 7 attack in southern Israel in which terrorists killed over 1,200 people, mostly civilians, and abducted over 240 people, sparking Israel's military offensive in Gaza.

Continued below.

Two Washington state track coaches are speaking out after a male athlete identifying as a female "blew the competition away" during a recent state meet where he competed against girls.

Brad Anderson is the head track coach for the boys' team at Liberty High School in King County, Washington, while Jason Keniston is the head track coach for the girls' team at the same high school. During the Washington Interscholastic Activities Association, trans-identifying athlete Veronica Garcia of East Valley Spokane High School won first place during the girls' 400-meter race with a time of 55.59.

The Independent Women's Forum, an organization that advocates for fairness in female athletics, published an interviewTuesday with the two head track coaches, who expressed hope that other instructors would do the same and speak out.

Continued below.

Throughout my life, I have had the immense honor of watching the women around me exhibit exceptional bravery. I first understood the true meaning of the word “brave” my senior year of college when I learned that my own birth mother was only 14 years old when she became unexpectedly pregnant with me, and with great courage and love, chose life and adoption.

My understanding of the word only grew when, two months later, I began working at Real Options, a women’s health clinic in Allen, Texas, which helps women facing unplanned pregnancies. I had always held a deep passion for supporting women in need, but the thought of my own 14-year-old mother seeking help when she was pregnant with me, turned that passion into my profession.

Over time, I became the executive director of the center. As I helped the families in my community, I knew I wanted to start a family of my own.

For years, my husband and I struggled with infertility, and I suffered from two painful and heartbreaking miscarriages, and then two failed adoptions. It became difficult going to work each day, knowing that I would be meeting with women who wanted to abort their child while I was mourning the loss of babies that I had so desperately wanted.

During my grief, I met with a woman who had a previous abortion and was now seeking guidance for another unexpected pregnancy. When I asked her about her abortion, she stated that it didn't bother her at all, but I could see the pain in her eyes. It was the same pain I was feeling.

Continued below.

A Texas surgeon, who is potentially facing 10 years in prison for having leaked information exposing Texas Children's Hospital for allegedly continuing to perform trans procedures on minors despite claiming otherwise, said his ordeal has convinced him of God's providence.

Dr. Eithan Haim, 34, told The Christian Post that he feels God is with him in his battle against the U.S. Department of Justice, which slapped him earlier this month with four felony counts after he "obtained personal information including patient names, treatment codes and the attending physician from Texas Children's Hospital's (TCH) electronic system without authorization," according to a DOJ press release.

Haim reportedly leaked such records to journalist Christopher Rufo last year because the hospital told the public it had paused such procedures after Texas Gov. Greg Abbott labeled them child abuse, though Haim uncovered documents that showed otherwise.

Continued below.

Boxing great Roy Jones Jr. is thanking God that he was able to see his son DeAndre the night before he died by suicide at age 32.

"Unfortunately, my son DeAndre took his life on Saturday," said Jones in a statementshared on social media Monday afternoon. "I'm so thankful that God allowed me to come Friday night to spend the last night of his life with me and the family."

"I know a lot of people are going through tough times right now, but nothing is worth taking your own life," he continued. "God gives it and God should be the one to take it away."

Continued below.

I've seen the threads of this coming together. This article pulls a lot of it together in one place.

Trump allies test a new strategy for blocking election results​

In five battleground states, county-level officials have tried to block the certification of vote tallies — which election experts worry is a test run for trying to thwart a Biden victory.

When a member of Georgia’s Fulton County Board of Registration and Elections refused to join her colleagues as they certified two primaries this year, she claimed she had been denied her right to examine a long list of election records for signs of fraud or other issues.

Now the board member, Julie Adams, an avowed believer in the false theory that the 2020 election was stolen from former president Donald Trump, is suing the board, hoping a judge will affirm that right and potentially empower others in similar positions elsewhere to hold up the outcome of elections.

CF thread:

Tea Party Patriot elections board member refuses to certify Georgia primary results (others certify results over her abstention)​

The Democratic National Committee and the state Democratic Party have asked to intervene in the suit, claiming Adams’s actions are part of a coordinated effort by Trump, his allies and the GOP to sow the same kind of doubt in this year’s presidential election that led to the violent attempt on Jan. 6, 2021, to overturn Biden’s first victory.

“They are playing poker with the cards up,” said Tolulope Kevin Olasanoye, executive director of the Democratic Party of Georgia. “They are telling us exactly what they are going to do. We would be foolish if we sat on our hands and did nothing and watched this happen.”

Trump has stated plainly that the only way he can lose this fall is if Democrats cheat. His campaign and the Republican National Committee are spending historic sums building “election integrity” operations in key battleground states, preparing to challenge results in court, and recruiting large armies of grass-roots supporters to monitor voting locations and counting facilities and to serve as poll workers.

essentialsaltes said:

Lara Trump is building an army of ‘100,000 poll watchers and over 500 lawyers’ to ‘deploy’ across America in November​

Following her remarks — which were full of militaristic language such as “deploy” and “battleground” — the assembled volunteers began training as volunteers.
“I’m convinced that the election was stolen in 2020 . . . and I genuinely think if Joe Biden wins this one we will be heading towards World War Three,” one attendee told The Post.
“This isn’t just about protecting our votes, it’s about protecting our families.”

Click to expand...

Certification of local results is a key target in this effort, a once-mundane administrative step that has become a flash point in the debate over election security — and a potential opportunity to subvert the will of voters. Election officials in the nation’s 3,000-plus counties must sign off on results, followed by a similar process at the state level. Typically, certification does not mean there were no errors — it simply reflects the votes tallied at that point. And it does not preclude lawsuits contesting those results; in fact, in some states lawsuits cannot be filed until after certification is complete.

[This is an administrative step, not an audit.]

Delaying certification at any step could hold up or halt the process [that funnels into electoral votes], potentially preventing the rightful winner from taking office.

Since 2020, county-level election officials in five key battleground states — Georgia, Arizona, Michigan, Nevada and Pennsylvania — have tried to block the certification of vote tallies in both primaries and general elections. So far, none of the efforts have succeeded.

But the chaos and confusion that could result from such an effort are themselves a deep concern among voting rights advocates, who believe that unsubstantiated claims of fraud by Trump and his allies are sowing even deeper mistrust in the fall election results than they did four years ago, raising the potential for unrest and even violence on a greater scale too.

In 2022, two commissioners from rural Cochise County in Arizona refused to certify midterm election results.

CF thread:

Refuse to Certify​

The same year, local election boards in three Pennsylvania counties withheld thousands of votes from certified totals. Last month in Michigan’s Delta County, the Board of Canvassers voted not to certify local results. A similar attempt to not certify May election results occurred in Nevada in Washoe County, home to Reno. In all four states, officials cited mistrust in election machines or ballot errors but offered no evidence of widespread fraud. In all four, certification proceeded after state intervention.

U.S. presidential elections operate on a tight schedule, with most states requiring county- and state-level certification within days of Election Day. Federal law in turn requires governors to declare which candidate’s electors will cast electoral college votes at least six days before Dec. 17, when they are scheduled to meet. If they fail to meet and cast votes that day, a state’s electoral votes probably would not be counted during the joint session of Congress on Jan. 6, the final step in determining the presidential outcome.

[Since Jan 6, a law was passed making it more difficult for Congresscritters to challenge states' electoral slates at the Veep counting. But if the slates never arrive, due to refusals to certify and inevitable lawsuits, they can't be counted.]

[Such a move could swing the result, or might] deprive both candidates of the 270 electoral votes required under federal law to win [in which case each state gets one House vote, and Republicans control 28 of 50 states.]

“I worry a lot about the disinformation that, no matter how this plays out, is going to be rampant,” [Kathy Boockvar, Pennsylvania’s secretary of state during the 2020 election] said. “It’s so much easier to spread disinformation than it is to explain all the ways that the incorrect information is wrong. Combined with this very angry, stressed environment that we’re living in right now, it’s such a fraught time to be having a major election in.”

Will be sorry to see the old girl go.....

NASA will have a spacecraft from Elon Musk’s SpaceX guide the International Space Station’s destruction later this decade, the agency announced Wednesday.