Editor’s note: This piece from Dennis Prager was originally published in 2007. We at The Daily Signal thought Dennis’ idea was worth revisiting as we approach Independence Day 2024. Perhaps the major reason Jews have been able to keep their national identity alive for 3,000 years—the last 2,000 of which were nearly all spent dispersed among other nations—is ritual. No national or cultural identity can survive without ritual, even if the group remains in its own country. Americans knew this until the era of anti-wisdom was ushered in by the baby boomer generation in the 1960s and ’70s. We always had national holidays that celebrated something meaningful. When I was in elementary school, every year we would put on a play about Abraham Lincoln to commemorate Lincoln’s Birthday and a play about George Washington to commemorate Washington’s Birthday. Unfortunately, Congress made a particularly foolish decision to abolish the two greatest presidents’ birthdays as national holidays and substituted the meaningless Presidents Day. Beyond having a three-day weekend and department store sales, the day means nothing. Columbus Day is rarely celebrated since the European founding of European civilization on American soil is not politically correct. Christmas has become less nationally meaningful as exemplified by the substitution of “Happy Holidays” for “Merry Christmas.” Memorial Day should be a solemn day on which Americans take time to honor those Americans who fought and died for America and for liberty. But, again, fewer and fewer Americans visit military cemeteries just as fewer communities have Memorial Day festivities. We come, finally, to the mother of American holidays, July Fourth, the day America was born. This day has a long history of vibrant and meaningful celebrations. But it, too, is rapidly losing its meaning. For example, look around—especially if you live in a large urban area—and see how few homes display the American flag. For most Americans it appears that the Fourth has become merely a day to take off from work and enjoy hot dogs with friends. Our national holidays were established to commemorate the most significant national events and individuals in our history; they now exist primarily to provide us with a day off. This was reinforced by the nation’s decision to shift some of the holidays to a Monday—thereby losing the meaning of the specific date in order to give us a three-day weekend. National memory dies without national ritual. And without a national memory, a nation dies. That is the secret at the heart of the Jewish people’s survival that the American people must learn if they are to survive. When Jews gather at the Passover Seder—and this is the most widely observed Jewish holiday—they recount the exodus from Egypt, an event that occurred 3,200 years ago. We Americans have difficulty keeping alive the memory of events that happened 231 years ago. How have the Jews accomplished this? By the ritual of the Passover Seder. Jews spend the evening recounting the exodus from Egypt—and as if it happened to them. In the words of the Passover Haggadah—the Passover Seder book—“every person is obligated to regard himself as if he himself left Egypt.” The story is retold in detail, and it is told as if it happened to those present at the Seder, not only to those who lived it 3,200 years ago. That has to be the motto of the July Fourth Seder. We all have to retell the story in as much detail as possible and to regard ourselves as if we, no matter when we or our ancestors came to America—were present at the nation’s founding in 1776. The Seder achieves the feat not only through detailed recitation of the story, but through engaging the interest of the youngest of those at the table (indeed, they are its primary focus), through special food, through song and through relevant prayer. Obviously, just as secular Jews tend to avoid the prayer part of the Haggadah, so, too, secular Americans are free to avoid the prayer part of an American Seder Book. But someone—or many someones—must come up with a July Fourth Seder. A generation of Americans with little American identity—emanating from little American memory—has already grown into adulthood. The nation whose founders regarded itself as the Second Israel must now learn how to survive from the First. 4th-of-July-DeclarationDownload We publish a variety of perspectives. Nothing written here is to be construed as representing the views of The Daily Signal. Republished with permission from Salem Media Group. The post America Needs a July Fourth Seder appeared first on The Daily Signal.

America is now almost $35 trillion in debt. That means every American owes $100,000. The Biden administration doesn’t care. It wants to spend more. Already it is spending so much that it’s increasing our debt by a trillion dollars every 100 days. President Donald Trump was no better. His administration increased our debt by almost $8 trillion. This will not end well. Last year, we hit a new ugly milestone: Americans must pay $1 trillion per year just for interest on our debt. That’s more than we spend on defense—on infrastructure, education, poverty programs … everything, but Social Security and Medicare. If we didn’t waste these trillion dollars on interest, we could give $3,000 tax cuts to every man, woman, and child to use as they please. Worse, America’s spending growth is unsustainable. You can stretch a rubber band farther and farther, but eventually, it will break. This column has reported on the politicians’ irresponsibility for a long time. In 2019, I complained that our debt increased by a trillion dollars every year. But now, it’s 3 trillion! In 2023, the ratings agency Fitch was criticized for downgrading U.S. government debt. But a few months later, Moody’s Investors Service lowered its outlook from “stable” to “negative,” saying America’s “fiscal deficits will remain very large, significantly weakening debt affordability.” No one knows which straw will break the camel’s back. In the past, politicians at least talked about our debt problem. President Bill Clinton said, “We’ve got to deal with this big long-term debt problem, or it will deal with us.” President Barack Obama said not dealing with it is “irresponsible.” Trump said, “We’ve got to get rid of the $19 trillion in debt.” But not one of them did anything about it. Now they lie about it. President Joe Biden said, “We literally cut the federal debt in half.” This is absurd. When he took office, our debt was $26.9 trillion. Now it’s $34.8 trillion. Part of the problem is that Biden staffers listen to advocates of “Modern Monetary Theory”—the ridiculous idea that the U.S., because it prints its own currency, can spend even more. “There’s nothing to prevent the federal government,” says Stephanie Kelter, Sen. Bernie Sanders’ economic adviser, “from creating as much money as it wants to and paying it to someone.” This is crazy. Look what’s happened to countries that tried it. After World War I, the German government couldn’t afford its reparation payments, so it printed more money. That led to 300% inflation and created anger that set the stage for Hitler. Similar hyperinflation wrecked lives in Argentina, Zimbabwe, and, most recently, Venezuela. People work their whole lives to build savings; politicians steal it through inflation. Today, silly people like Biden and Sen. Elizabeth Warren say we can “fix” our deficit by taxing the rich. Since the stock market’s risen almost 30,000 points in 15 years, there are a lot of absurdly rich people around. “Pay your fair share,” shouts Warren. But rich people already pay a bigger share, and raising taxes on the rich wouldn’t even get us out of the mess we’re in. First, many wouldn’t pay. They’d move abroad or invest abroad or spend even more on tax lawyers to slime around the rules. Even if they didn’t, there aren’t enough rich people to tax to compensate for what our politicians spend. If Warren were able to grab all billionaires’ wealth, that would only cover about a seventh of our debt. The only solution is to address what causes the debt in the first place: excessive government spending. It shouldn’t be so hard. Politicians don’t even need to stop spending more. They don’t need to balance the budget. They just need to limit spending increases to just below America’s average yearly economic growth. Then we could grow our way out of our debt burden. But our politicians won’t even do that. They don’t even talk about debt. They are irresponsible cowards. COPYRIGHT 2024 BY JFS PRODUCTIONS INC. We publish a variety of perspectives. Nothing written here is to be construed as representing the views of The Daily Signal. The post You Owe $100,000! appeared first on The Daily Signal.

European Elections: It's Not Just Immigration Driving People Right

Jamaal Bowman Apologizes for Statement the NY Times Never Told Readers He Made

In addition to its iconic collection of monumental moai, Easter Island is famed for having hosted one of the most disastrous population declines in history, as the ancient locals apparently ravaged their homeland’s resources, triggering an ecological catastrophe that doomed them all. At least, that’s how the story goes, although new research has flipped the popular Easter Island narrative on its giant head, suggesting that the remote isle’s inhabitants actually developed a sustainable model for living and never experienced any dramatic collapse.Also known as Rapa Nui, the small landmass in the southeastern Pacific Ocean covers just 163.3 square kilometers (63 square miles) and features highly weathered, depleted soils that lack many of the key nutrients needed for growing crops. When the first Europeans arrived in 1722, they encountered a local population of around 3,000 people, although the presence of around 1,000 huge stone heads on the island hinted at a much larger workforce at some point in the past.To estimate the size of this former community, researchers have focused on the existence of so-called rock gardens, which the ancient inhabitants of Rapa Nui used to increase soil productivity prior to the arrival of Europeans. By layering rocks of various sizes, the locals were able to prevent moisture loss from the soil while also enhancing nutrient content, enabling the cultivation of sweet potatoes in the spaces between this "lithic mulch".Research conducted this century using satellite images has indicated that ancient rock gardens may have covered up to 21.1 square kilometers (8.1 square miles) of the island. Calculating the calories that could be obtained from sweet potatoes grown in these plots, scientists have estimated that Rapa Nui may have once supported a population of around 17,000 people.That’s an awful lot of residents for such a small, desolate place, and it’s widely believed that this population eventually outgrew the island’s meager resources, resulting in ecological and social collapse.However, these previous rock garden counts are likely to be highly inaccurate as they don’t adequately distinguish between human-made lithic allotments and natural rocky outcrops. To set the record straight, the authors of a new study trained a machine-learning model to accurately identify genuine rock gardens from satellite imagery by looking for areas of increased soil moisture and nitrogen content, rather than just rocks.After five years of analysis, the researchers concluded that just 0.76 square kilometers (0.3 square miles) of Easter Island is covered in rock gardens. Based on the quantity of sweet potatoes that could be harvested from these plots, the authors estimate that the island’s agriculture never supported more than about 2,000 people.Isotopic analysis of teeth and bones from ancient corpses on Rapa Nui has indicated that seafood and other crops like sugarcane, bananas, taro, and yams also made up about 35 to 45 percent of the local diet. Combining the calorific value of all the island’s resources, the researchers say that at any given time, Rapa Nui could have supported a maximum population of about 3,901 people.“This shows that the population could never have been as big as some of the previous estimates,” said study author Dylan Davis in a statement. In their write-up, the researchers explain that the figures proposed by prior studies were probably “between five and 20 times too high.”The community encountered by those early European visitors may not, therefore, have been the vestiges of a once populous citizenry, but was instead probably representative of the kind of society that had always existed on Easter Island.Such a conclusion radically rewrites the history of Rapa Nui, doing away with the idea of irresponsible resource exploitation and population overshoot. “Our results add to a growing body of empirical research showing that Rapa Nui represents a prime example of how an isolated population with limited natural resources created a sustainable subsistence system, maintaining their numbers within the limitations of environmental carrying capacity,” write the researchers.“The lesson is the opposite of the collapse theory,” adds Davis. “People were able to be very resilient in the face of limited resources by modifying the environment in a way that helped.”The study is published in the journal Science Advances.

The spread of the highly pathogenic avian influenza virus H5N1 among animals is unprecedented having been found on all continents — except Oceania — with the United Nations calling it “a global zoonotic animal pandemic.”H5N1 is known to be able to infect over 350 species of birds and close to 60 species of mammals with migratory waterfowl — including ducks, swans, geese and gulls — being especially susceptible to various avian-borne influenza viruses. H5N1 infected waterfowl are normally asymptomatic carriers, however, these birds can infect other species (including mammals) along their migratory routes. This global transference allows disease to spread, and for virus genetics and virulence to continually adapt.Alarmingly, evidence indicates that climate change seems to be impacting the emergence of zoonotic viruses like H5N1. As global climate conditions change, avian migratory patterns and routes are also changing. Higher temperatures and extreme weather has resulted in large-scale population shifts in a range of temperate species. These changes have led to diseases emerging in areas — and in genetic configurations — entirely unique and unprecedented.H5N1 is a clear indication that disease monitoring and response efforts are an essential part of any climate change adaptation and mitigation strategy.H5N1The ecology and genetics of H5N1 viruses have evolved significantly since first being detected in China in 1997.The H5N1 virus has been detected in the polar regions and the first confirmed case of a polar bear dying from H5N1 was recorded in Alaska in 2022. Antarctica has seen significant rates of mortality in its native elephant and fur seal populations as a result of viral exposure.Non-migratory wild birds are highly susceptible to H5N1 infections brought on the wings of their more transitory cousins. There have been approximately 75,000 bird casualties globally as per the World Animal Health Information System. However, efforts to accurately estimate the total number of wild birds which have died as a result of H5N1 are hampered by issues in data quality and availability.Meanwhile, a 2022 report on the state of wild birds in the United States estimated that over three billion birds have been lost in part due to climate related factors.  A report on H5N1 produced by PBS NewsHour.On land, the H5N1 virus has been detected in dairy cattle, and in 2024, a Texas agricultural worker was infected with H5N1. These cases suggest that H5N1 is adapting to infect mammalian hosts.In March of this year, reports began to emerge of unusual deaths in young goats on a farm in Minnesota. That same farm had individuals in its poultry flock test positive for H5N1 and the goats and poultry shared similar spaces and water sources. It was later determined that the H5N1 strains in both the poultry and goats were highly related.In May of 2024, the U.S. Department of Agriculture confirmed the detection of H5N1 in alpacas on a farm in Idaho. Similar to previous cases, this farm also had a backyard poultry population test positive for H5N1 with unusually high amounts of the virus detected across the farm. To date, 12 states in the U.S. have reported outbreaks of H5N1 with 101 dairy herds affected.The discoveries of H5N1 on farms, alongside recent analysis of viral dispersal patterns, reiterate the importance of climate change shifting the migratory patterns of birds in the spread of viruses around the globe.Climate change and H5N1There is increasing evidence that climate change is accelerating the global spread and emergence of new H5N1 variants with evidence that wider seasonal variation is enabling the emergence of novel H5N1 variants.In North America, the warmer winters and earlier onset of spring which global warming is causing could allow some moisture-reliant pathogens to survive and spread more easily. Meanwhile, cooler and wetter conditions can enhance the survival of influenza viruses in bird droppings and contaminated water.Simply put, the spread of influenza viruses around the globe is dictated by their ability to survive long enough in a place to be able to transmit elsewhere — and climate change is, in some cases, making this survival more likely.The recent cases of poultry-to-human and cattle-to-human transmissions underscore the threats posed by these viruses and the importance of understanding how climate change is affecting their spread.Implications and mitigationThe H5N1 virus poses a significant threat to public health and the recent cases in the U.S. — coupled with H5N1’s high mortality rates in humans — underscores the need for vigilant monitoring.Dealing with viruses is always a challenge, however, climate change is upending many conventional understandings as shifting waterfowl migration patterns and environmental conditions force us to change strategies. Strengthening health-care infrastructure, and educating communities about H5N1 risks are essential components of a comprehensive response strategy.Promoting sustainable agricultural practices, such as improving biosecurity in poultry and cattle farms, reducing livestock population density and enhancing barn ventilation systems, is crucial. Innovative smart farming technology can also help track viral infections in poultry barns.Conservation efforts are essential to maintain healthy ecosystems and minimize viral spread. Restoring natural habitats can mitigate the effects of climate change on wild bird populations, thereby reducing the risk of H5N1 spillover.In the future, global leaders will need to be vigilant with respect to the trajectory of H5N1. International collaboration on disease management will be crucial for implementing climate adaptation strategies to safeguard the health of both our planet and its inhabitants against viruses like H5N1.Nitish Boodhoo, Research Associate, Department of Pathobiology, University of Guelph and Shayan Sharif, Professor of Immunology and Associate Dean, Research and Graduate Studies, University of GuelphThis article is republished from The Conversation under a Creative Commons license. Read the original article.

Kathy Maniscalco, an artist living in El Dorado, Santa Fe, New Mexico, had an extraordinary encounter that would leave many wildlife enthusiasts envious. One fine day, a mama bobcat and her adorable kittens paid a visit to her porch. El Dorado, known for its nearly 3,000 households, isn’t typically a place where one would expect... The post Woman spots mama bobcat and her ‘feisty’ cubs on her porch and starts recording appeared first on Animal Channel.

Blaze News managing editor Leon Wolf, who’s usually behind the scenes, found himself on “The Glenn Beck Program” this morning. This rare occurrence is due to an even rarer occurrence when Dr. Richard Ebright — a molecular biologist who’s long avoided the public eye, preferring to speak mostly in esoteric circles — agreed to an interview with Wolf. His conversation with Dr. Ebright is laid out in detail in his latest article “Lab wars: Inside one Democrat's 20-year crusade to save the world from Anthony Fauci — Part 1: 2001-2014.” Wolf appeared on Glenn’s program to talk about this article. This Doctor Warned About Fauci 20 Years Ago. Will We Listen Before It’s Too Late? youtu.be “There's been a lot of discussion about gain-of-function research, and I wanted to get an understanding,” says Wolf. For those unfamiliar with the term, gain-of-function research is the practice of tampering with organisms (i.e. viruses) to alter their biological function (i.e. increase virulence, transmissibility, etc.). The deeper Wolf dove into the research — including reports dating all the way back to 2001 — “there was one name that continued to pop up over and over and over again.” “His name is Dr. Richard Ebright,” and it turns out he’s been warning people about Anthony Fauci “for two decades.” After 9/11, as the fear of bioweapons mounted, Anthony Fauci began touting gain-of-function research, claiming that it would make us safer. Dr. Ebright, however, claimed the opposite — that it would be our demise. “Ebright’s position, which I think has been vindicated, is that the more biological agents that you put in the hands of researchers, the more dangerous — and not less dangerous — it would make it because historically (and this is true), most biological attacks have not been carried out by terrorists; they've been carried out by people who are researchers,” says Wolf, noting that Ebright also correctly predicted that an “authorized government researcher” was responsible for the 2001 Anthrax outbreak. Fast forward to 2020, and Ebright’s prediction that Fauci’s obsession with gain-of-function research would culminate into a catastrophe of epic proportions came true. And yet during the pandemic, “Fauci [convinced] the world that he's somehow the good guy in all this,” says Wolf. However, four years have passed since COVID swept the globe, and skepticism regarding the virus’ origins are at an all-time high. Perhaps the world is finally ready to hear Dr. Ebright. To learn more about Fauci’s role in the COVID-19 pandemic, check out “The Coverup,” BlazeTV’s new docuseries that deep dives into the origins of COVID-19, as well as the collusion between the government, the media, academics, and public health bureaucrats to ensure the narrative surrounding the virus remained untouchable. Want more from Glenn Beck?To enjoy more of Glenn’s masterful storytelling, thought-provoking analysis, and uncanny ability to make sense of the chaos, subscribe to BlazeTV — the largest multi-platform network of voices who love America, defend the Constitution, and live the American dream.

Denver, Colorado, plans to spend $5 million of former COVID relief funds on a contract to place homeless individuals in subsidized apartments over the next two years, the Denver Post recently reported.In 2023, Mayor Mike Johnston (D) closed 10 shelter encampments despite the increase of illegal aliens arriving in the city. Johnston then announced the All in Mile High initiative, previously called the House1000, to provide shelter accommodations to 2,000 individuals. 'They are better able to deal with challenges that may have led to their homelessness.'As part of that ongoing initiative, the mayor now plans to allocate funds toward providing more long-term transitional housing in addition to converting hotels into temporary shelter spaces.Johnston’s office said that the initiative will cost taxpayers nearly $90 million for 2023 and 2024, the Denver Post reported.The $5 million contract, which runs from May 1, 2024, to May 31, 2026, with the nonprofit Housing Connector, will help 250 households with move-in financial assistance and rental subsidies. The Center Square reported that the organization will provide one year of full rental and utility assistance, a stability fund, mitigation and risk, mediation services, and case management.A document provided to the city council read, “By connecting people with a home and providing them with rental assistance and supportive services to stay in their home, they are better able to deal with challenges that may have led to their homelessness, such as obtaining employment or substance abuse issues.”On Monday, City Council members voted 8-2 to authorize the contract with Housing Connector. The nonprofit will coordinate rentals directly with landlords and property managers, and case managers will work with individuals to achieve long-term housing plans.The program will be financed through the city’s American Rescue Plan Act funds, which were once earmarked for COVID relief.The mayor’s office recently came under fire for quietly sending illegal aliens to Salt Lake City, Utah, to reduce the number of individuals relying on Denver’s public assistance programs.In May, a large group of illegal immigrants who had sent up an encampment refused to dismantle the makeshift tent city and move into taxpayer-funded indoor shelters that provide three meals per day. The group sent a list of 13 demands the city would need to agree to before they would be willing to get off the street. The list stated that Denver must provide them with the ability to cook their own food, free ingredients, shower access without time limits, medical professional visits, employment support, and free immigration lawyers.A report from the Common Sense Institute revealed that more than 42,000 illegal immigrants have arrived in Denver over the last year and a half. Like Blaze News? Bypass the censors, sign up for our newsletters, and get stories like this direct to your inbox. Sign up here!

Senior political commentator Van Jones highlighted how high the stakes are for President Joe Biden for next week's presidential debate as the concerns have only gotten louder over Biden's mental acuity.The debate against former President Donald Trump is on Thursday in Atlanta, hosted by CNN. Among the rules for the debate, microphones will be cut when speaking out of turn, and there is no live audience. Due to a coin toss, Trump will be given the last word. 'This is the whole presidency in a bottle in a week.'In preparation for the debate, Biden will be spending a week at Camp David. "This is the entire election, as far as I’m concerned. The entire world will be watching. There — if you are a carbon-based life form, you’re going to be watching. If you’ve got a functioning brain stem, you’re going to be watching, because, if Biden goes out there and messes up, it’s game over," Van Jones said."If he walks out there and a week later he’s lower in the polls, it’s panic in the party. But if he goes in there and he can handle himself against Donald Trump, a runaway train, a locomotive, a raging bull, then this guy deserves another shot to be president, because that is tough," he continued. "You couldn’t do it. I couldn’t do it. If you can stand toe to toe with a runaway train like Donald Trump for an hour-and-a-half, you are fit to be president, period, point blank. This is the whole presidency in a bottle in a week." CNN commentator: If Biden goes out there and messes up at the debate, 'it's game over' www.youtube.com There has been a "senior moment" in nearly every single one of Biden's public appearances the past few months. From freezing up onstage to consistently mumbling entire sentences, it remains to be seen how well Biden will perform in the match against Trump.For his part, Trump is spending the week before the debate by hosting rallies in different states. Fresh off his recent trip to Wisconsin, there is a Trump rally in downtown Philadelphia on Saturday. It has been reported Trump will not be conducting mock debates, a staple in political campaigns.Like Blaze News? Bypass the censors, sign up for our newsletters, and get stories like this direct to your inbox. Sign up here!