Yesterday, the Olympics mocked God. Since the close of the opening ceremony in Paris, and probably for the next few days at least, people worldwide have argued about the tableau vivant or “living picture” of drag queens in the opening ceremony. In the tableau vivant, drag queens are seated along a table with a Christ-like figure, complete with a halo, at the center. This is similar to the Last Supper painting by Renaissance artist Leonardo da Vinci.

Founded in 1837, John Deere is the world's largest farm equipment manufacturer with revenue of over $61 billion. The company manufactures tractors, combines, backhoes, excavators, seed drills, and more and sells them on every continent. Simply put, John Deere makes and sells the equipment that farmers and other working men need. Earlier this month I reported on how Tractor Supply Company had retreated from Diversity Equity and Inclusion (DEI), LGBTQ events, and climate change philosophy after a rural customer backlash. Now it has come to light that John Deere has adopted similar progressive policies.

Rural Americans are different than those from the big coastal cities. Tractor Supply Company just discovered that. Tractor Supply is a Tennessee-based retailer known for selling animal feed, farm tools, workwear, and even live chicks and ducks. It is one of the last companies in the nation that you would expect to go woke, but it did. On October 20, 2021, CEO Hal Lawton wrote an Op-Ed in The Tennessean newspaper titled, “Why businesses should follow Tractor Supply’s push for diversity, inclusion, and climate change prevention.” Lawton led Tractor Supply with the philosophy that Diversity Equity and Inclusion (DEI) was a necessary good and that climate change was an existential threat.

On July 1st we started our Independence Day celebrations with the raising of two flags. There are two flagpoles along the driveway to our home and I like to change the flags for various holidays and events. In this case, we raised the Betsy Ross flag and the “Appeal to Heaven” flag.

Osan Air Force base commander, Colonel William McKibban, has authorized base personnel to wear a “pride morale patch” on their military uniforms. The colonel states “The patch represents the advancement of the Air Force’s commitment to diversity, inclusion, dignity, and respect within the mission.” The mission of the United States military is to deter war and ensure national security. The only commitment our soldiers, sailors, and marines should have is to win wars when called upon. All else is a needless distraction.

Faith, marriage, and family are at the core of American values, but like a vampire sucking the life from its victim, the secularization of our culture has weakened it and threatens to destroy it. Nearly every day some new progressive idea is thrust upon us; defund the police, prosecutors that don’t prosecute, biological males in women’s sports and locker rooms, new pronouns, choose your gender, child genital mutilation, and the ever-growing LGBTQ agenda. The pervasiveness of the progressive ideology can be seen in the backlash against the commencement address given by Harrison Butker.

I’ve lived in both big cities and small towns. In big cities, I’m usually anonymous and can blend in as just another nameless person on the street. Most people don’t even really see me. There are some advantages to that but for more than twenty years I’ve lived in rural southwest Washington State. Here you get to know people. I can hardly go to town without stopping to talk with an old friend or two. I’ve finalized business deals by shaking hands. I go to church and community meetings with local elected officials and count several as friends. At this level, reputation and integrity matters.

Perhaps that’s why I don’t put much faith in social media.

Imagine that the cartels took control of Mexico and every year for the last twenty years fired at least a thousand rockets into the United States raining fear and death down on San Diego, Yuma, Tucson, El Paso, and other cities. Then the Mexican cartels conducted a barrage of over 3,000 rockets on American targets. They followed this with an armed invasion. Before the U.S. military could push them out, the cartels killed a total of 1,139 Americans including more than 695 civilians, including thirty-six children, and kidnapped more than 240 hostages. All of that is hypothetical but I ask the reader, what would the United States do if it suffered such an attack across its southern border?

Just over a year ago, I wrote a post titled, Worldview Wars. In that post, I discussed how Tamillia Valenzuela, a self-described “neurodivergent Queer” and member of the Washington Elementary School board in Arizona made national news by opposing the board’s cooperation with a Christian University. Valenzuela opposed cooperating with the university because of the school’s “Biblically-informed values.” Ms. Valenzuela knows her worldview and, through her opposition, defends it. Few Americans can define worldview much less provide support for it.