Friday Five
August 4, 2023 Edition
1 - Groups sue to block Catholic charter school in Oklahoma; state leaders stand firm via Catholic News Agency
The government sponsorship and funding for the first approved Catholic charter school in the country hangs in limbo as nine Oklahoma residents and several interest groups, including the ACLU and the Freedom From Religion Foundation, filed a lawsuit against state leaders to block the school.
Annie Laurie Gaylor, co-president of the Freedom From Religion Foundation, said in a statement, “It’s unconscionable for the state of Oklahoma to be funding such an obviously sectarian religious school. This cannot be allowed to go unchallenged in our secular governmental system.”
The lawsuit cites Oklahoma Charter Schools Act, which requires charter schools to be “nonsectarian in [their] programs, admission policies, employment practices, and all other operations.”
State Superintendent Ryan Walters stood firm in his support of the school saying, “It is time to end atheism as the state-sponsored religion.”
2 - Pro-Life Activist Mark Houck Announces Run for Congress via Catholic Vote
Remember when the father of 7 from PA was arrested by the FBI at gunpoint in front of his entire family in September of 2022 over a supposed FACE act violation? Well, he’s now running for office saying, “I am running for Congress to further protect my family, those in the 1st district, and the Republic.”
His campaign website outlines what is most important to him saying, “I have seen first-hand what an out of control government can do to its citizens, I will fight to protect all people and their rights under God and our Constitution. My platform is based on common sense.” If elected, he intends to “focus on restoring traditional values and principles that are central to the American identity, such as faith, family, and freedom of speech, religion, and the right to bear arms.”
He also lists immigration policy, education reform and school choice, and the pro-life cause among his priorities.
3 - Three Christians Receive $300,000 Over Wrongful Arrest in 2020 Anti-Mask Protest via the Epoch Times
After years of legal battles, three Idahoans were just paid a $300,000 settlement from their city over a violation of their constitutional right to protest during the first year of the COVID-19 pandemic.
Nearly 200 Christians gathered in September of 2022 to protest a municipal mask and social distancing mandate. City police approached the peaceful protest, and asked three protestors for their ids. Because the protestors did not comply, police officers arrested them.
There was an emergency order in place, but the decision says that it was violated by the police explaining, “Somehow, every single city official involved overlooked the exclusionary language included in the (foundational) Ordinance requiring that the mayor make explicit that the Order was intended to apply to all constitutionally-protected expressive and associative activity as well.”
Judge England declared that the three Christians “should never have been arrested.” According to one of the defendants, about half of the $300,000 dollars will be spent on legal fees and the other half will be donated to persecuted Christians.
4 - Fitch downgrades the U.S. government’s credit rating via World News Group
On Tuesday, the credit rating agency Fitch, downgraded our government’s credit rating, citing what it called a “steady deterioration in standards of governance.” They also cited things like, rising debt at the federal, state, and local levels of government, and repeated standoffs over attempts to raise the debt ceiling.
Another credit agency, Standard & Poor’s, had already downgraded their rating of the United States in 2011.
U.S. Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen disagreed with Fitch's downgrade, in a statement that called it "arbitrary and based on outdated data." White House press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre also made a statement saying, "It defies reality to downgrade the United States at a moment when President Biden has delivered the strongest recovery of any major economy in the world.”
5 - Archer testified Hunter Biden a lobbyist who leveraged ‘very powerful name’ for foreign deals via Just the News
The evidence continues to pile up against the Biden family, showing deep corruption with foreign countries. In the most recent blow, Devon Archer, Hunter’s former business partner testified in Congress that he considered Hunter Biden to be a “lobbyist” who leveraged a “very powerful name” to score millions in deals with foreign oligarchs and businesses, including a Ukrainian energy firm that was seeking protection from corruption probes and other legal woes.
Archer testified that Joe Biden as vice president helped his son reinforce a family “brand” that brought value to foreign clients (such as China, Russia, Ukraine and Kazakhstan) seeking influence in Washington.
Archer, speaking to the Bursima company said that the Biden brand brought a sense of protection from legal threats and investigations that the energy company was facing.
“How would that work?” committee member Rep. Dan Goldman, a New York Democrat, asked Archer at one point in the interrogation.
“Because people would be intimidated to mess with them,” Archer answered.
“In what way?,” Goldman inquired.
“Legally,” Archer explained.