Think Again

Some conservatives and Fox News commentators are saying something about the conflict with Iran that sounds totally correct, but it’s actually not true. Such comments are the result of the sad inability to think logically about complicated questions.

President Trump is being criticized for accepting the ceasefire while Iran still “controls” the Strait of Hormuz. And, if the war ends with Iran remaining in control of the strait, we’re being told such a conclusion would be worse than when the conflict started. I know that sounds right, but it isn’t. 

To be clear, I agree that Iran must not have control of the strait. But the truth is that Iran controlled the strait before the conflict began. The world just didn’t realize it. 

The Iranian regime knew how they had layered weapons—suicide drones, speedboats, mine layers, short-range missiles and long-range missiles—all aimed at the Strait of Hormuz. Each day they were adding more layers of weapons. 

The Iranian regime knew that in any serious conflict that threatened their survival, shutting down shipping through the strait would be their “ace in the hole,” and they knew they could accomplish that. 

We knew that they would try to do so. But we assumed, because it would be such an economic blow to so many countries, that all of Europe would unite with us to open the strait and keep it open. 

We quickly discovered that all Iran had to do was damage one or two oil tankers resulting in panicked insurance companies withdrawing their coverage. That is a huge problem. Without insurance, no tanker will go through the strait. 

Secondly, it appears we underestimated the full extent of Iran’s weapons and just how little they needed to do to make the insurance companies fold like cheap suits, which by itself shut down the Strait of Hormuz. 

A Metastasizing Cancer

Here’s another way of looking at the situation. Suppose you’re not feeling well and go to the doctor. After his examination, he orders an MRI. He calls later and says, “You have cancer and we have to do some really difficult things to beat it.”

It wouldn’t be logical or true for you to respond by saying, “I didn’t have cancer until I went to you and had the MRI. I am worse off now than when I came for treatment!” 

Day by day, the cancer of Iran was metastasizing throughout the Middle East while it methodically tightened its grip on the Strait of Hormuz. Donald Trump was the MRI that exposed what the Iranian regime was doing.

You don’t blame your doctor for discovering you have cancer when you can stop it in time. You don’t blame your president for discovering an enemy has a death grip on much of the world’s oil supply. Now, we have to do difficult things to undo it.

Trump’s Decision

The New York Times is no fan of President Trump. And President Trump is no fan of the New York Times. But the president felt that the need to take military action against Iran was so important that he wanted the American people to understand how that decision was made. 

This week, the Times published an incredibly detailed report about exactly what went on inside the White House leading up to the start of the conflict on February 28th. Some in Washington say the extent of the details suggests that the administration turned to America’s “newspaper of record” to help get the story out.

Of course, the Times’ leftist spin is still there. But what comes through clearly is that this president was fully engaged at every point in the process, as were his top cabinet officials. Unlike Joe Biden, who only cared about his next nap break, this was a president bearing the weight of the world and balancing the future of the world with a nuclear-armed Iran. 

Democrat Deception

The important November elections are just six months away. Leftists believe they have a strategy that will help them win everything. And they might be right if Christian citizens aren’t discerning or fail to vote.

The Democrat strategy is to run candidates who sound “moderate.” But here’s the reality: the only thing moderate about them is their tone. They are, in fact, the most far-left, socialist candidates Democrats have ever run. 

In New York City, Democrats ran Zohran Mamdani--handsome, articulate, and always smiling. He won. Now it’s clear he is a Marxist, antisemitic, Christian-hating, radical Muslim. Incredibly, he convinced a third of New York City Jews to vote for him. 

In Virginia, Democrat Abigail Spanberger won the race for governor last year. Democrats emphasized how “moderate” she was and that she once worked for the CIA—what a patriot! She won by 16 points.

Many Virginians now have buyer’s remorse after discovering that she’s an extremist. Once Spanberger took office, she started promoting abortion and LGBTQ extremism. She also restricted the ability of federal immigration police to detain criminal illegal aliens. Now, she has the blood of innocent Virginians on her hands.

She has a high disapproval rating now, but it’s too late. She will be in office for four long years.

Another part of the Democrat strategy is to run candidates who present themselves as Christians. If you’re a Christian voter, this strategy is aimed at you. Democrats are trying to deceive you into putting far-left, pro-abortion, pro-transgender Marxists into office by playing “identity” politics. This is why the Bible says we need to be as wise as serpents. 

The poster boy for this strategy is Texas Democrat James Talarico. He says the Bible promotes abortion. He says God is non-binary, so sterilizing and mutilating children is a biblical thing to do. He also claims God supports open borders.

In Iowa, Democrat Sarah Trone Garriott, a Lutheran pastor, is running for Congress. She said the biggest lesson she learned after the 9/11 jihadist attack on America was that Americans are Islamophobic. She clearly learned the wrong lesson!

And when Iowa Democrats invited her to give the opening prayer in the state legislature—you guessed it—she gave an Islamic prayer, not a Christian prayer. Not surprisingly, she is also pro-abortion.

Don’t be fooled by the Democrat “trans moderate” deception.

More Democrat Deception

Montgomery County, Maryland, is a suburb of Washington, D.C., and a cesspool of left-wing radicalism. The county made headlines last year when the Supreme Court struck down the school district’s policy that forced LGBTQ propaganda on young children. 

It was very telling that when the school district approved this new policy, it also repealed the parental opt-out policy at the same time. The Democrat-dominated school district meant to force it on every child, no matter what.

The Montgomery County public schools are back in the news for once again trying to push transgender ideology on children without parental knowledge. 

Teachers are being instructed to keep a child’s “gender transition” at school a secret from parents unless the teacher decides the child’s parents are supportive enough. They think they know what is best for your child. 

In addition, teachers are instructed to leave anything related to “gender identity” out of all documents that federal law allows parents to have access to. 

This is what Democrats do anywhere they have control. They’ll talk a good game about “affordability,” but this radical anti-parent ideology is really their top priority. They will mandate it and force it on every family and every child if given the chance. 

Suppose a candidate was in favor of a strong national defense, lower taxes and border security. But that candidate remained committed to abortion on demand and LGBTQ ideology—including transitioning your child while calling it “affirming” and “science.” 

That alone would require Christians and anyone with an ounce of common sense to vote against them. If a candidate doesn’t know the difference between a man and woman or thinks men can get pregnant, why would anyone trust that candidate’s judgment on anything else?

What Really Matters

My friend Tim Goeglein’s new book, What Really Matters: Restoring a Legacy of Faith, Family, and Freedom, calls on Americans to return to the core values that will bring about a cultural and political renewal that will restore America as a “shining city on a hill,” as my former boss President Ronald Reagan used to say.  

So many of our current problems are the result of abandoning the values of faith, family, and freedom. But as Tim always reminds us, we still have hope, even during the darkest times, if we remain faithful as Christians and citizens to be salt and light in our culture. 

This wonderful new book encourages us to be just that. As the title underscores, the best things in life aren’t things, but are instead the lasting institutions that provide the very foundation for our nation.