A Day NOT to be Squeamish

Inauguration Day demonstrated that sentimental toxic empathy is no virtue.

Inauguration Day went differently for me than I expected. First, at the hour of Noon Washington time, I was not home watching on TV as I was assisting a friend with necessary errands before bad weather moved in, and that took longer than expected. So I was in my pick-up on the freeway service road when Donald Trump was sworn in as President.

My reaction also surprised me. I pumped my fist (yes, while driving) and roared in joyful triumph. It was downright visceral.

Something else about the day surprised me. Other than tweeting a lot, I could not bring myself to write much. Part of the reason is I did not think I had anything that value-added or profound to say.

But then last night I became aware of an event unrelated to the Inauguration, which I will get to later, and after reflection, I knew what to write.

Inauguration Day demonstrated that squeamishness is no virtue and is best banished from government and church.

Donald Trump is many things, but he is certainly not squeamish in either speech or deed. He demonstrated that well yesterday again and again. I will focus on two instances.

First, he pardoned most of the J6 defendants and commuted the sentences of the rest. (At least that is my understanding. At this writing, I am unaware of any he left out.)

Now I confess I, even I, was once squeamish about this. I wanted all the non-violent J6ers pardoned at once but thought the violent ones should be handled more selectively. But I now think Trump was right to be done with all that yesterday.

First, these were all political prosecutions. A comparison with how 2020 Antifa/BLM rioters were so easily let off bears that out. Second, the cases that were tried were done so in D. C. where it is impossible for Trump supporters to receive a fair trial. Most defendants were deprived of their right of a fair and speedy trial. Some were still in prison without a trial four years after the fact. They were indeed political prisoners. Third, the J6 Committee destroyed exculpatory evidence. Yes, the committee members, particularly Liz Cheney and Adam Schiff, should be punished for that but Biden pardoned them, of course. Finally, of the few J6er that deserved prison time, their sentences were excessive. One Proud Boys leader was sentenced to 22 years. All this for a day in which the only fatality was J6er Ashli Babbitt, shot by a policeman. The J6 protesters were instead virtually all unarmed.

So Trump was right to bring all this injustice to an end. Not so by the way, those woke churchers who prate about “justice,” did any of them ever say a peep about the injustice against the J6ers? Did they say a word about them being made political prisoners? Instead, they are probably clutching their pearls about Trump’s pardons. Their “concern” about “justice” is a sham.

Another way Trump was completely not squeamish was immediately to act to close the border and bring the Biden-Harris Invasion to an end. He did so through a number of executive orders. But before those, he gave my favorite part of his Inauguration Address:

First, I will declare a national emergency at our southern border. All illegal entry will immediately be halted, and we will begin the process of returning millions and millions of criminal aliens back to the places from which they came. We will reinstate my "Remain in Mexico" policy. I will end the practice of catch and release, and I will send troops to the southern border to repel the disastrous invasion of our country.First, I will declare a national emergency at our southern border. All illegal entry will immediately be halted, and we will begin the process of returning millions and millions of criminal aliens back to the places from which they came. We will reinstate my "Remain in Mexico" policy. I will end the practice of catch and release, and I will send troops to the southern border to repel the disastrous invasion of our country.

Under the orders I sign today, we will also be designating the cartels as foreign terrorist organizations. And by invoking the Alien Enemies Act of 1798, I will direct our government to use the full and immense power of federal and state law enforcement to eliminate the presence of all foreign gangs and criminal networks bringing devastating crime to U.S. soil, including our cities and inner cities.

As Commander in Chief, I have no higher responsibility than to defend our country from threats and invasions, and that is exactly what I am going to do. We will do it at a level that nobody has ever seen before.

I especially love his calling the Invasion what it is — a “disastrous invasion” — and his sending troops to the border. I’ve long thought that needful but did not expect even Trump to announce that during his Inaugural address. This is part of his bold “revolution of common sense.”

But it’s not for the squeamish. Already we’ve seen a likely staged video of a “migrant” woman crying because her invasion app was turned off and her appointment cancelled. I don’t know what her situation back home was but I know it did not necessitate smuggling herself across Mexico to enter the United States.

That tearful video is only the first of many to come. Brace yourself. We are sure to see any number of videos and stories in the coming months designed to evoke empathy — toxic empathy — for the migrants being kept out and the illegals being deported. In fact, guess who is shopping around for sob stories already — Christianity Today. Megan Basham got ahold of this email from CT’s executive news editor, Marvin Olasky.

And as Basham points out:

Note that Olasky is ONLY asking for on-the-ground stories related to illegal immigrants who are being caught up in raids. He is not asking for stories of families or individuals who have been negatively impacted by immigration.

He says CT has reporters on the ground who will be “covering what happens to immigrants and refugees beginning on Jan. 20.” But there is no expressed interest in reaching out to people who may see the raids in their communities as a positive thing.

Also note the tenor of the kinds of stories Olasky is trawling for: “separation of parents and children, hurried flights out of the country, churches declaring themselves sanctuaries.” Again, entirely one-sided, emotionally-loaded angles….

What these stories will do is create an impression that Christians stand opposed to the very immigration policies that they overwhelmingly voted for. The secular media will then pick up these stories and amplify them, citing Christianity Today’s coverage as proof that Trump‘s Christian base is revolting.

So when you see CT’s reporting, understand it is not because those were the only stories to tell or even those ordinary Christians were most interested in reading. They were the only stories CT was willing to tell.

Basham is so on target. Christianity Today intends to weaponize toxic empathy — a widespread type of squeamishness that Christians are all too prone to — CT intends to weaponize that weakness against Trump, against the U. S., and, yes, against American Christians as well.

So it’s important we are not snowed by such propaganda efforts but instead oppose them and expose them. There are many still supporting the Invasion of America, and many of them are wolves in sheep’s clothing like Christianity Today. The squeamishness of toxic empathy can only lose that war, enable invasion, and result in generations of real victims.

——

Oh, what prompted me to inveigh against all squeamishness?

In the evening, I became aware of something else that happened yesterday — the death of Cecile Richards, whose evil included once leading Planned Parenthood. That topping off the day soon brought Proverbs 11:10 to mind:

When it goes well with the righteous, the city rejoices;

and when the wicked perish there are shouts of gladness.

I saw it was such a day. And I both rejoiced and was glad.

Now I know what some may be thinking. That I am just awful and hardly a Christian man. I beg to differ although I freely concede Christians tend to be loath to rejoice in evil people getting their just desserts. I include Christians I highly respect in that, and I saw some of them yesterday evening being markedly restrained about Richard’s death.

Surely we should prefer and even pray for evil people to repent. And how marvelous that would have been if Richards had repented. And we should all have the humility to remember we all need to repent. At the same time, we should not be squeamish about the justice of God. And it is not at all wrong to rejoice in the death of a particularly evil person and that she will soon meet God’s justice.

Again, Christians I respect differ on this topic. C. S. Lewis was markedly uncomfortable with some of the Psalms and their attitudes toward enemies and evildoers. (See Reflections on the Psalms.) And some Psalms and other harsh passages certainly should be interpreted with discernment. And we certainly should not be like the comical Jonah who was oh-so angry at the mercy of God toward repentant sinners.

But if we are squeamish about the justice of God and sentimental about the death of the wicked, then we demonstrate that we lack understanding about the justness of God’s justice and the evil of man’s evil. Such sentimentality is hardly a Christian virtue.

So yes, I rejoiced and shouted with gladness yesterday. And I make no apology for that. Nor should you. For it was a Proverbs 11:10 day indeed.

——

Before I go, I have to throw in my favorite headline on the day, and it also goes with my theme. On Trump’s Inauguration Address, this headline from the Tucker Carlsen Network:

President Castigates Failed Leadership in Front of Failed Leaders

God bless President Trump, and God bless America!