Author Archive: Mark Tapscott

CHINA’S WAR ISN’T JUST ON TARIFFS: Tony Perkins, Family Research Council (FRC) chief and the former Vice-Chairman of the U.S. Commission on International Religious Freedom (USCIRF), knows a thing or three about how and why the Chinese Communist regime in Beijing acts.

 

BUREAUCRATS BOUGHT OPULENT FURNISHING FOR EMPTY OFFICES: Why on Earth would federal bureaucrats think it made sense to spend hundreds of millions of tax dollars on opulent new furnishings for offices that were mostly empty throughout the Covid Pandemic and in the teleworking boom of the following years? Openthebooks.com CEO John Hart provides searing testimony to the House DOGE Subcommittee.

JESUS’ LAST WEEK AS YOU’VE NEVER HEARD. IT: It’s “Countdown Jerusalem” by EKO on Substack. Ya gotta read this one!

UNEXPECTED INSIGHT FROM UNEXPECTED SOURCE: Semafor Media’s Ben Smith Jr. looks at a National Press Club decision to reject a MAGA advocate’s membership application and offers an unexpected insight. He also appears to have muffed it on a related issue. See if you catch it. SCROLL DOWN TO “Journalism Organization’s Don’t Get it.”

DARK WEB TESLA DOXXERS: Exclusive report from the Daily Caller News Foundation points to the use of data from a 2021 data breach of ParkMobile info that included the make of vehicle being parked in particular spots and names of the owner.

HERE’S WHY AMERICA HAS A HOME-SCHOOLING REVOLUTION: It gets little media coverage, but the reality is that millions of American parents have given up on the public education system and joined the home-schooling movement.

But there is so much more to the reason home-schooling is exploding, including the fact the on-going failure of the public schools is entirely predictable if you know the European roots of public education. Shawn Ryan’s latest podcast features Leigh and Robert Bortins, the principals of Classical Conversations, a hub of the movement and a global homeschooling program rooted in classical, Christian education.

The bottom line is most public school graduate have little or no reading or basic math skills, they know nothing about the American Revolution or the principles underlying the Constitution, and forget about them making a logical argument. Be forewarned that Ryan’s conversation with the Bortins is three-hours long, but is worth every minute of it.

DOGE RAISED THREE QUESTIONS THAT MUST BE ANSWERED: In my latest Substack column, I ask the questions nobody else seems to be asking about why multiple Congresses, Inspectors-General and Chief Executives failed to expose the deep-rooted waste, fraud and corruption now being made public.

NO WONDER THE LEFT IS ABSOLUTELY FREAKING OUT: Between Tom Jones’ American Accountability Foundation (AAF) and Elon Musk’s Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE), the roots of the Administrative State’s power in personnel and corruption in spending are being exposed like never before, as I explain in my latest PJMedia column.

SURPRISE ON THE HILL: Turns out, according to recent survey of congressional aides reported on HillFaith, that more than half, 52 percent, of the respondents say religious faith issues are discussed in their offices.

MAYBE THERE IS HOPE FOR THE PALESTINIANS: Richard Pollock sees a glimmer of hope in the recent anti-Hamas demonstrations that began in Beit Lahiya and spread to the Jabaliya refugee camp. Hamas has dominated the Gaza Strip using force and violence, so much so that it’s hard to envision a numerically significant outbreak of opposition. But keep an eye on this element because, as Pollock notes, “it potentially can be a huge game changer. But for now, only potentially.”

THANK YOU, GLENN: Glenn gave blood recently and it reminded me of what a great blessing it is that we are able to do so for the benefit of others. Among those others is my grand-daughter, Beckett Tapscott. She was adopted at age Three from China by my son, Marcus, and daughter-in-law Morgan.

Beckett preparing for a transfusion.

Beckett has Thalassemia, a genetic blood disorder that prevents her system from producing sufficient hemoglobin, a red cell protein that carries oxygen to cells throughout the body.

As a result, she has to have blood transfusions on a regular basis. Without them, she will die. Beckett is one of an estimated 4,000 Americans with this extremely rare condition.

She is currently involved in a trial that involves harvesting millions of red blood cells from her body, which are then genetically reworked to eliminate the disorder. It requires a long period of isolation because her body’s immune system will be reduced to nothing and then rebuilt through the altered cells.

Glenn’s post about his giving blood includes a great reminder to all of us. I know there are many Instapunditeers who give blood regularly. On behalf of my sweet granddaughter, I thank you.

 

THERE’S GOLDBERG SIGNAL SCANDAL. AND THE BIDEN PERJURY SCANDAL: Techno Fog makes effective use of the Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) even though it often entails unacceptable costs and delays. But those factors can be overcome, as is seen in today’s Substack column detailing the lies told by Joe Biden in the Robert Hur investigation of the now-former president’s possession of classified documents.

TRUMP’S PERSONNEL WINS GET MUCH-NEEDED VOICE: The MSM, the federal bureaucrat unions, and the non-profit “experts” will blast Trump no matter what he does. Now, the OPM Comms operation has launched an optimistic, positive, forward-looking communications push. Check it out in my latest Substack column.

NO SURPRISE IN BURNING TESLAS: Rod Martin lays it out in simple, straightforward language:

“By some counts, Elon [Musk’s DOGE] has already uncovered more than $115 billion in federal waste, fraud, and ghost programs. He says he believes he’ll root out over $1 Trillion, possibly as much as $2 Trillion. That’s out of a $7 Trillion federal budget, and more than enough to eliminate the $1.8 Trillion federal deficit and begin paying down the national debt.

“One might think that Democrats would applaud that: Biden, Obama, and Clinton all called for similar measures. But there’s a reason they never acted on those proposals. Cutting what any objective person would consider waste and fraud is an existential threat to a party whose power depends on permanent bloat, off-books slush funds, and unaccountable bureaucracies.”

Last week was Sunshine Week, according to the professional mainstream media journalism outfits. One would think, as I pointed out in a PJMedia column, that DOGE providing more transparency far faster than ever before seen in the nation’s capital would spark cries of “Hallelujah!!”

If the end justifies the means, then burning down Teslas, shooting up Tesla dealerships and all but threatening to kill Musk if given the opportunity is justified if it protects the gravy train.

 

 

THANKS TO ALL THE BIBLES & BISCUITS GUYS: Just got back last night from four great days in Richmond, Va., visiting my son, Marcus, and his wonderful family — wife Morgan, First Grandson Tyler, Second Grandson Brooks, First Granddaughter Beckett, Gundy the Chocolate Lab and Boone the Yellow Lab.

But that’s not all. I was also honored to join the “Bibles & Biscuits” Men’s Group Saturday breakfast in nearby Rockville, Va., where I spoke to a group of 70-some great guys about HillFaith and my journey with Jesus Christ. Lots of laughs, great fellowship and tremendous encouragement.

Bibles & Biscuits is hosted by 3wide.org, the men’s fellowship ministry of Rocky Marrins. It’s not just in Richmond and it’s not your typical men’s group. These guys know what it means to fail and to succeed. They also really know how to laugh, so I posted this on HillFaith today with them in mind (and Instapunditeers as well!).

DOGE IS FORCING A TRANSPARENCY EXPLOSION SO WHY ISN’T SUNSHINE WEEK CELEBRATING? Americans have learned more since January 20 about how the federal bureaucracy and politicians are spending their tax dollars than at any comparable time in history.

So why aren’t celebrants of Sunshine Week crying hallelujah!??? Could Trump/Musk Derangement Syndrome have anything to do with it? Check out my latest PJMedia column.

VINDICATION FOR TWO IRS WHISTLEBLOWERS: They blew the whistle on how the IRS and Justice Department were taking care of Hunter Biden. Their reward? Isolation, denigration, defamation, and much more, all of it debilitating. But now these two brave guys are being promoted to positions that enable them to have a major say in the reorganization of the tax agency. It’s a step toward justice.

THINK TRUMP IS MAKING PROGRESS? The wise lads of Issues & Insights think the answer to that question is a resounding Yes! So much so, they see Santa Claus when they see the Chief Executive.

NO, THE CONSTITUTION DOES NOT SANCTION BIRTHRIGHT CITIZENSHIP: President Donald Trump’s recent executive order confronted head-on the myth that merely being born within the United States guarantees an individual U.S. citizenship, as Birthright Citizenship advocates claim.

Rod Martin lays out a succinct and detailed presentation of the facts of the legal history of citizenship in the U.S. and in doing so makes it quite clear that merely being hatched here doesn’t a U.S. citizen make.

CHUCK SCHUMER CENSORED: Will his experience of being roundly denounced for not shutting down the federal government result in the Senate Minority Leader reconsidering his previous enthusiasm for the Left’s cancel culture? Richard Pollock takes a look and notes Schumer blocked Senate consideration of the Antisemitism Awareness Act passed by the House of Representatives.

DOJ DROPS PROBE OF SOUTHERN BAPTIST CONVENTION: Did you hear the Department of Justice (DOJ) has dropped its Biden administration-initiated investigation of allegations by Russell Moore and other prominent “Woke evangelicals” of widespread abuse within the Southern Baptist Convention (SBC)?

Probably not, but the fact is, as reported by guest author Jon Whitehead on the Rod Martin Report, no charges were filed after a lengthy investigation that cost the SBC as much as $20 million just in legal fees. The investigation was yet another illustration of the Left’s costly, time-consuming and often-libelous Lawfare.

“Russell Moore, in his infamous ‘leaked’ letters, peddled a narrative of systemic corruption and cover-up within the SBC Executive Committee (EC). This was demagoguery of the worst sort. It was a tale steeped in half-truths and self-righteousness, meant to whip messengers into a frenzy,” Whitehead explains.

If you aren’t familiar with Moore, he’s a former congressional aide to Democrat-turned Republican Rep. Gene Taylor of Mississippi. After leaving the Hill, he occupied prominent preaching and teaching positions across the SBC, then became the long-time leader of the SBC’s Ethics and Religious Liberty Commission (ERLC).

Moore was a vocal Trump critic in 2016 and thereafter, but what really caused his downfall was his steadily escalating Woke-driven criticism of Southern Baptists and other evangelicals, beginning during the Obama administration.

Most recently, Moore became Editor-in-Chief of Christianity Today, a move that highlighted that once-respected magazine’s sad abandonment of its conservative evangelical roots in a direction that will almost certainly end up in the same Progressive neighborhood as Sojourners magazine.

Whitehead is also clear that exposing Moore’s attack on the SBC as groundless does not mean SBC congregations need not be always alert to and just in responding to abuse allegations:

“Don’t be fooled. This doesn’t mean sin is absent from every corner of the SBC. Local churches must remain vigilant; God hates sexual abuse. We should support SBC churches who report sexual abuse to authorities and care for victims of such crimes. I have laid out the path for real reform on the issue here: ‘The Path Forward on Abuse Reform in the SBC: Baptist Accountability.’”

DON’T MISS SURBER’S WEEKLY HIGHLIGHTS: Here’s just one that instantly caught my eye, but be sure and read the rest of them:

“ITEM 3: Newsweek reported, ‘The 8-month pregnant wife of pro-Palestinian student activist Mahmoud Khalil has pled for her husband’s release in time for the birth of their baby, following his arrest and detention by federal immigration officers over the weekend.’

“So send her back to Gaza with him. The family that Hamas together stays together—until the pager beeps.”

Oh, and the NASCAR take-off on the infamous New York Times headline cracks me up. But then I only raced on road courses, never did the roundy-round stuff.

WHY ARE LIBERAL WOMEN SO MISERABLE? Social psychologist Dr. Luke Conway, writing on the Rod Martin Report, surveys the data and concludes two factors — traditional marriage and religious faith and practice — are keys to understanding the answer.

SYRIAN CHRISTIANS BEING MASSACRED: It’s happening in Syria, Nigeria, Rwanda and multiple other places around the world. So do Christians living safely here in the U.S. have any obligations to persecuted fellow believers?

Family Research Council’s (FRC) Tony Perkins and Southern Baptist Theological Seminary President Al Mohler Jr. say yes and explain in an excellent analysis by The Washington Stand’s Joshua Arnold.