February 7th, 2023 Dear Friends, As reported by the National Review: | On the menu today: Tonight, Joe Biden will give the annual State of the Union Address, and we already know how most partisans will react. Almost all Democrats will gush that Biden delivered the finest address since Winston Churchill, and almost all Republicans will say it was a disastrous, failed effort to hide an abysmally disappointing record. You can also predict how the speech will be perceived by MSNBC and the editorial board of the New York Times, and how it will be greeted by Fox News. This predictable pattern means that Democrats rarely recognize when they’ve screwed up, as they’re always being told they’re doing a good job — or at least a much better job than Republicans could ever do. That “closed circle” of constant positive reinforcement and inaccurate feedback is how Democrats keep convincing themselves that the likes of Kamala Harris, Andrew Cuomo, Beto O’Rourke, Stacey Abrams, etc. are the next great American leader. We’ve got a lot of problems in this country, and a lot of them stem from our tendency to see what we want to see, instead of what is actually there. FRC President, Tony Perkins, recently offered his reflections on the “State of the Faith Family & Freedom” as well. Back in Louisiana: LFF’s Leadership Academy is assembling a first-class Worldview Team for the 2023 Spiritual Heritage tour- June 18th-24th. High school Juniors to college Sophomores will journey to our nation's capital to learn of America's Spiritual Heritage and their place in God's purpose. Participants will engage members of Congress, the Supreme Court, and the decision-makers who make this Republic work. During the seven-day trip, participants will learn from great influencers, such as Congressman Steve Scalise, Congressman Mike Johnson and Congressman Garret Graves. We will connect with members from organizations such as Alliance Defending Freedom, which has presented oral arguments before the Supreme Court for Christians in our nation. This Academy remains true to the biblical, historical, and constitutional principles our nation was founded upon. Attendees will gain leadership opportunities, life-purpose strategy, public speaking skills, and a tutorial of government that’s biblically based. The mission of the Leadership Academy is to answer, “What is God’s purpose for my life?” Sponsor or nominate a young leader here! | | |
The BR Police Department released a crime trend dashboard on their website allowing the public to follow real-time crime trends. “This new dashboard gives an up-to-date summary of calls for services, equipping citizens with awareness of what they need to understand, and this critical component of law enforcement,” said BRPD Chief Murphy Paul. While the dashboard intends to reassure residents of the progress made against crime, it has instead raised questions about the lack of progress in recent high-profile cases; i.e. the murder of LSU student Allie Rice and the shootout at a club last month that left more than a dozen injured. “This rumor that I heard that we are soft on crime…we are not. We actually arrested more people for felonies and seized more…so we are not soft on crime,” Chief of Police Murphy Paul told WBRZ. But Baton Rouge’s transparency has made one thing clear: Murphy Paul’s police department isn’t clearing major crime investigations with arrests. The Hayride’s Jeff Sadow reported, “…when you can’t clear the Dior Bar shootings, much less the Allie Rice or Devin Page murders, it doesn’t matter what the police chief thinks.” Let’s take a moment to pray for peace in Baton Rouge! | |
The Associated Press recently amended its style guide directing journalists to put the term “crisis pregnancy center” in scare-quotes, and to instead use “anti-abortion center” to convey that “the centers’ general aim is to prevent abortions.” The AP guide describes the centers as “set up to divert or discourage women from having abortions” and discourages journalists from using “potentially misleading terms” such as “pregnancy resource centers.” Thomas Glessner, president of the National Institute of Family and Life, told The Daily Signal, “It’s disgraceful that so-called journalistic professionals succumb to pro-abortion political activists to do their bidding…If they actually cared about integrity, they would know that pregnancy centers seek to help women who are facing unplanned pregnancies with material and emotional support.” Finally, what AP fails to report is that abortion providers charge for services that crisis pregnancy centers provide for free! | |
Friend,, every year from February 7th-14th, National Marriage Week reminds us that marriage is more than a day or a ceremony. It is a lifelong commitment that reflects and grows out of a realization that God created marriage and gave it to men and women as a priceless gift. Malachi 2:15 says, “God, not you, made marriage. His Spirit inhabits even the smallest details of marriage…so guard the spirit of marriage within you.” Thank you for your part in helping us find Louisiana’s “Longest Married Couple.” Submissions are now complete and results will be announced shortly. We can’t wait to share the story of a lifetime! Happy National Marriage Week! | |
Gene Mills
President, Louisiana Family Forum | |
