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Despite everything going on in the world, one thing remains… Even in the darkest times, God is doing amazing things. Since my family and I decided to undertake this campaign last June, we have been continually amazed at the immense generosity and strength of so many people. We have truly been blessed by the Lord, and I will sing his praises. Politics can be an all-encompassing ordeal. Frankly, I am not happy with the direction this nation is headed, which is why I am seeking to serve this great nation once again with your support and help. We face a crisis of leadership, or as C.S. Lewis said: "Men without chests". Despite what we are up against, there is always hope when we reflect on our faith, family and freedoms. |
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My faith has defined my character, and I am immeasurably grateful for what the Lord has done in my life and the life of my family. This weekend marks the greatest celebration of the Christian faith, and the ultimate testimony of sacrifice for the sake of others. I wish you a joyous celebration of the resurrection, and a wonderful spring season.
May the Lord Bless you and keep you, May his face shine upon you and be gracious to you, May the Lord lift his countenance upon you, And give you peace. Thank you for being a patriot, Cameron Hamilton Navy SEAL Veteran Republican Candidate for Congress, VA-07 |
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Flynn: Deliver the Truth. Whatever the Cost. |
This gripping documentary explores the life of General Michael Flynn, from his rise in the US Army to the political storm he faced as a National Security Advisor, highlighting his commitment to disrupting endless warfare and the intense investigations that challenged his career.
Learn more about the film, purchase live event tickets and pre-order the DVD at: |
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There has been plenty of bad news lately. The invasion of our southern border continues unabated. Israel is under siege. Anti-Semitism is on the rise. The war in Ukraine rages on, as does the left's unrelenting assault on our values.
But today, on Good Friday, we focus on the perfect Lamb, the truth of scripture and exactly what it is that we as Christians are celebrating. (Hint: It's not chocolate bunnies, spiral hams or marshmallow chicks!)
As a child, I wanted a different ending to the Easter story. If only Christ had come down from the cross and destroyed His enemies -- that would have demonstrated His power. That is what I thought then. Of course, I learned how wrong that impulse was.
Christ had to die so that we might have everlasting life. His sacrifice on the cross saved all who believe in Him. As Charles Wesley wrote in his famous hymn: "Amazing love! How can it be that Thou, my God, should die for me?"
Romans 5:8 tells us, "But God demonstrates his own love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us."
While some worship a god who commands men to die for him, we worship a loving God who gave His son to die for us. What a contrast! What a savior!
Of course, Christ did more than just give up His life. He conquered death and rose from the grave. Obviously, Christmas is earthshattering in that God took on human form. But the Resurrection was the fulfillment of God's plan of salvation.
If Christ had not risen from the grave, He would have been forgotten as a common criminal, a rabble-rouser whose birthday would have no significance.
With Christ's resurrection, we have confidence.
Confidence in a caring Creator, rather than the chaos of the cosmos.
Confidence in a glorious future, rather than the finality of the grave.
Confidence that sustains us in times of trial and tribulation, especially in times such as these.
Today, my friends, let us focus on the Good News that on Resurrection Sunday, we do not remember a prophet or a martyr. We worship the risen Son of God!
He is risen! He is risen indeed!
Great news! On Tuesday, March 26, Governor Youngkin vetoed 30 bills that targeted law abiding gun owners, including measures that would have halted the sale of certain semi-automatic firearms. To date, the Governor has vetoed 32 such bills.
That said, the Governor also signed into law gun control bills HB22 and SB210 regarding auto sears, and SB44, regarding abuse and neglect of children; causing or enabling child to gain possession of a firearm, penalty. He also offered amendments to 6 gun control bills.
The Virginia General Assembly will reconvene on Wednesday, April 17 for consideration of the Governor's amendments and vetoes. With only a one member majority in each house, it is unlikely that the Democrats will be able to override any of Governor Youngkin's vetoes.
By Derrick Max
3/29/2024 -- There is a near-universal consensus among economists that increases in the minimum wage harm low-skilled workers the most. Originally designed to mimic racially discriminatory laws elsewhere, the minimum wage continues to be a means of picking certain classes and geographic locations over others. For example, the minimum wage benefits the high-cost-of-living areas in the Northeast over the lower-cost-of-living areas in the South. It also benefits the more educated over the less educated, and as I have noted before in the Jefferson Journal, increases in the minimum wage benefits the healthy over the handicapped.
Governor Youngkin's understanding of the dangers of government intervention in wages is best summarized in the Governor's defense of his veto of HB1 and SB1 -- which would have raised the minimum wage to $15 per hour. In his veto explanation, the Governor notes, "The free market for salaries and wages works. It operates dynamically, responding to the nuances of varying economic conditions and regional differences. This wage mandate imperils market freedom and economic competitiveness."
Acknowledging the regional differences in impact, the Governor noted, "Implementing a $15-per-hour wage mandate may not impact Northern Virginia, where economic conditions create a higher cost of living, but this approach is detrimental for small businesses across the rest of Virginia, especially in Southwest and Southside. A one-size-fits-all mandate ignores the vast economic and geographic differences and undermines the ability to adapt to regional cost-of-living differences and market dynamics."
Even without the Governor's signature, Virginia's minimum wage was set to be indexed to the consumer price index beginning in October of 2024. This will keep the earning power of the current minimum wage intact going forward -- which is a much more reasonable approach and will prevent a wage shock that will surely have an immediate negative impact on Virginia's most vulnerable workers.
The Governor also vetoed a companion bill, HB157, that would have removed the long-standing exemption from the minimum wage for migrant and farm labor. Governor Youngkin clearly understands the truism written on many bumper stickers that "farmland lost, is farmland lost forever," when he wrote in his veto explanation: "The agricultural sector has thin margins, and this bill will significantly affect the industry. The data from the USDA Census of Agriculture and the Weldon Cooper Center for Public Policy further emphasize the importance of supporting our agriculture industry. The loss of five thousand farms and nearly five hundred thousand acres of farmland in the last five years has dramatically altered our economy and communities."
It is refreshing to have a Governor who understands and can articulate important economic principles so clearly. We applaud Governor Youngkin for his bold use of the veto in defense of those the General Assembly foolishly put at risk when they passed these bills. We are thankful for the Governor's clear desire to see the Commonwealth move forward with continued job growth, a strong economy, and healthy farming communities.
Derrick Max is the President of the Thomas Jefferson Institute for Public Policy. He may be reached at dmax@thomasjeffersoninst.org.
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As we approach this holy weekend, I wanted to take a moment to wish you and your loved ones a solemn Good Friday and a joyous Easter.
Today is a time for reflection and remembrance, as we contemplate the sacrifice made for us and the profound love of Good Friday.
As we anticipate the celebration of Easter, let us rejoice in the promise of renewal. May the resurrection of our Lord remind us of the power of redemption and the triumph of good over evil.
Wishing you and your family a blessed weekend,
Jason Miyares
After the last newsletter I received several, "So what happened that you're not on social media anymore?" messages. Guess there are more of you out there who don't know than I'd realized, so I'll solve the puzzle here...
In 2020 I made the decision to pull the plug on social media for both myself (personally) & the RMBC. Man has it ever been liberating! At the time I had somewhere around 450,000 Facebook fans spread amongst multiple sites. The RMBC page was the biggest. Along with my friend Jim I also was behind Red, White & Blue News. I also had Black & Conservative, which I believe still exists as some of my friends/page admins - Casper, Ken and Nathan, said they'd like to keep it alive and I think they have. I was also a lead admin on Black Tea Patriots.
All of these combined to a pretty good online presence, so what happened?
As those of you who were around in those days will remember, I was constantly getting put into Facebook jail. Not for profanity or indecency or anything of the sort, but just the Facebook police deeming my content or comments 'in violation of community standards.' A day here, a week there, then eventually (as my minor celebrity status grew & I began popping up more and more on national news outlets) months at a time. But even that didn't do it. Here's what did.
The end of the Obama years & beginning of Trump were the height of the RMBC's Facebook page. So we're talking 2014 - 2019. Page visits, growth and volume were huge in those days. A good post on the RMBC page would garner 5,000+ shares and 500+ comments. A great one could triple those numbers. In a good week we would add 800 - 1,000 new fans.
By mid 2020, the time I decided to end it all, a good post would garner 20 - 50 shares and 10 or 12 comments and the page would add 3 or 4 new fans per week. Not 3 or 4 hundred - three or four!
This is no exaggeration.
In those days I was also a writer for a much, much larger page and website. I don't have permission to name names here (many of you know anyway) but that page had 2 million fans, a good post could easily get 50 - 80,000 shares and 5-6,000 comments. By mid-2019 a strong post would be shared 1,500 times and have a handful of dozens of comments.
This is what's known as 'shadow banning.' In addition to literally banning me/us for weeks sometimes months at a time Facebook and Twitter were clearly, blatantly muzzling conservative speech. They'd turned the spigot down so low our voice was little more than a trickle. Daily we got messages and posts from years-long followers saying, "I thought you guys were gone", "You don't show up in my newsfeed anymore", "I haven't seen anything from this page in forever." All this while they were at the same time promoting the voices of leftists. I know it, I saw it, I lived it.
[and I'm not going into Youtube terminating monetization of my channel, which is a story for another day]
Then, as the 2020 election drew near we saw those companies quit the subtle, shadow tactics. The NYPost uncovered very, very damaging information connecting Joe Biden and his son Hunter to a world of malfeasance & began reporting on it. This information would clearly be damaging at the ballot box. What did Facebook & Twitter do? Completely took down the Post's pages. Remember that?
Then they blocked Trump's accounts followed by a 'permanent suspension.' They banned the sitting president of the United States of America. The man had the largest number of Twitter followers on earth, it was a medium thru which he communicated with millions, and in the months leading up to his potential re-election they silenced him. We all know why.
I am a principled man. Perhaps zealously so. There is a long list of companies to whom I flatly refuse to give my hard-earned dollars. Social media is free to the end user. These companies - Twitter, Facebook, Instagram, Youtube, TikTok, etc. - make money by monetizing your clicks. I reached the point where I could no longer in clear conscience 'fund' these outfits and thereby participate in funding their desires and efforts by not only giving them my clicks but also ushering the clicks of hundreds of thousands of others. So I signed off.
I lived and worked in Silicon Valley where these tech giants are located. I've spent time in the belly of that beast. I simply cannot participate in feeding it. And while I wish millions more would do the same, b/c every time you hop on Facebook each day you're funding liberty's demise, all I can do is take care of me. I'm out with no intention of coming back.
Now you know.
-dw
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