Put aside, for the briefest of moments, whatever you believe about vaccines. I’m not going to try to convince you one way or the other about vaccinating children and the alleged health risks posed by vaccines. I’m not even going to get into the debate about whether or not parents should be compelled to have their children vaccinated. I want to talk about free speech (technically, freedom of thought) and whether or not human adults can be trusted with making their own choices.

I’ve done my own research about the science in favor and against the anti-vaxxer movement. I made my decision based on this information. What my decision was isn’t relevant for this discussion. The point that needs to be first considered is the fact that there is data is out there for people to read. The videos are there for people to watch. The opinions are available for people to digest.

But that may not be the case for long. Those opposed to the anti-vaxxer movement are urging everyone from tech companies to the federal government to the United Nations to essentially outlaw any information that does not conform with the majority opinion. Much of these efforts are driven by the pharmaceutical industries themselves, but most is driven by concerned citizens who believe parents should not have a choice about their children’s healthcare as it pertains to vaccines. Their argument is a good one: When anti-vaxxers put their own children at risk, they put other people’s children at risk. This is a textbook argument about one person’s rights impeding on another person’s rights.

The counter argument is that if vaccines are so effective, then there’s no reason for those who have their children vaccinated to worry about being exposed to children who are not vaccinated. Again, it’s a good argument.

And that’s the point. There are good arguments on both sides when it comes to rights. The science is heavily weighted towards favoring vaccinations, but that doesn’t mean the science that talks of risks of vaccinations should be stifled.

As is usually the case, I am referring specifically to freedom of thought rather than freedom of speech, since technically there’s no freedom of speech issue here with private companies banning anti-vaxxer information. They are private companies, and while they inappropriately enjoy certain protections as content platforms while simultaneously invoking their privilege as content aggregators, the bottom line remains the same: thoughts are being suppressed because they’re considered dangerous by some.

This isn’t a 1st Amendment issue because as of right now, the government isn’t involved in the suppression as far as we know. That means the battle over whether or not information from anti-vaxxers should be shareable on social media, searchable on Google, and discussion-worthy on mainstream news outlets is becoming a series of oversteps on the part of the companies helping with suppression. This should concern everyone regardless of their choices and beliefs regarding vaccinations.

Those who have followed this topic over the past few months are likely aware Google and Facebook, among others, have embraced certain types of policies with varying levels of transparency behind them in an effort to make anti-vaxxer information as inaccessible as possible. Those opinions are quashed now and the crackdown hasn’t even reached its apex. Now, GoFundMe is no longer allowing fundraisers for anti-vaxxer organizations on their platform, either.

It’s extremely important to understand this point: I would rather a government say vaccinations are mandatory than for the “information czars” of social media and search engines to quash ideas that are unpopular with the majority. That’s not an opinion swayed by my personal perspectives on vaccinations; I’d feel this way whether I was a Big Pharma lawyer or Charlie Sheen. But we’re adults. We can discern information and should be allowed to do so. Some will choose wisely. Others will not. It’s not the responsibility of tech companies or governments to tell us which information is too dangerous for our petty little minds to access.

Just give us the facts and let us make up our own minds.

When government says vaccinations are mandatory, there’s recourse for those against them. When Facebook, Google, or GoFundMe think anti-vaxxer advocates are worth hiding or removing altogether from their platforms, there’s no recourse.

And here we are once again, that annual gathering of family and friends. We’re dressed in our best attire for the occasion. The smell of old oak pews and perfume fill the air. The Sunday morning sunrise is beautiful this time of year. Indeed, this time of year is different. We’re surrounded by tulips, lilies and marshmallow bunnies galore. Our hands still have a remnant of the blue, red, yellow and green from the night before.

We just never asked out loud. What would they think if we started nosing around… it’s all about Jesus isn’t it?  After all, the kids were happy that their baskets were full of candy. We had fun as a family dying the eggs, so what could be wrong with that? It’s the intent that counts.

It’s not the intention that’s dangerous. It’s the blatant ignorance, one that we happily share with family and friends year after year. The questions have crossed our minds surely on more than one occasion. What does a bunny have to do with Christ’s death and resurrection anyway? Why do we dye eggs and hide them?

When a child asks the most simple of questions about this special event, our answer will usually be along the lines of, “well, it represents new life, a re-birth.” That’s what we were told. It sounds good, and most times those answers subdue the confusion, at least for the time being.

I do believe the tale of the Easter bunny is very fitting for this time of year, actually – tall tale that we convince our children is real until it no longer makes sense. Quite simply, it’s a lie. Is it any wonder that our children don’t trust us when we tell them of God? Is God just another Easter bunny or Santa Claus that they eventually find out never existed?

I did the unheard of one year not long ago. I read the Bible to get the answers to the questions about Easter. I figured it must be in the Bible somewhere…right? Jesus’ death was certainly recorded, so then the holiday we celebrate to honor that event must be too. And it was. I found it, right there in His words. But the weird thing is, it’s not called Easter. No bunnies. Lo and behold, no eggs either! Nothing about candy or sunrise services. Not even a gathering on Sunday. But, a very special meal that was prepared early specifically because Jesus wanted to celebrate it with His disciples before He died.  And He did this to give the reason for celebrating it in the first place. It was for the purpose to remember the Lamb of God, the sacrifice, and the fulfilled prophecy. This celebration of remembrance was continued year after year by those who followed Him. Thus, it would be sufficient for us to celebrate as well. In fact, a blessing!

Then came more questions. Jesus answered all of them and then some. His answers were not what I was expecting. He gave me an ear full, as if He had been waiting for that very moment all my life. And that’s when I realized who was really to blame for me being so ignorant. All I had to do was ask.

This time, my answers came from the mouth of the One whom I thought I was honoring and what I learned was hard to accept initially. It wasn’t because I would no longer dye and hide eggs. It was because I had been doing the very thing God had said not to do.  Being that we are Gentiles makes no difference if we too do exactly what Jesus warned His own people of.  Doing that was harder to live with than telling my family I couldn’t be there.  It’s a decision we have to make. Not just whether we will participate in “religious” holidays that in reality have nothing to do with Him, but whether or not we are willing to let go of the easier path for Him.

It won’t be easy if you make such a major change in your life. And believe me, many Christians will put you down for it. They will argue their justification until you’re worn down. But, stick to His word and you shall not be deceived. It can’t be argued against. However, with that said, we are not claiming that any Christian is a “true” Christian just because they are aware of the truth and abandon false traditions. Nor does it mean those that chose to continue in those traditions are not real believers. We are simply trying to point you back to the word – His word – as your only justification for any tradition that is for the purpose of honoring our Messiah.

His answers are not meant to subdue the confusion for a short time, but to enlighten us for eternity.

In reality, it’s a part of the deceptions that are gaining more traction to push those who want to be followers of Yeshua away from the truth of the word. I find it rather curious as to why all these traditions we have involve candy. Don’t you? It’s somewhat indicative of the temptations we face, a lure if you will that gets us involved and interested at a very early age. What kid doesn’t like candy?

Don’t take our word for it. Research it yourself.

Below is an image we created from the words of David J Meyer of Last Trumpet Ministries International. Please verify with the Lord what we are sharing with you. Do not ask man to answer questions that they themselves have. Ask the One who really knows. I figured it might be a good idea if we took the time to actually honor our Messiah by reading what He had to say. Maybe then we can better understand what eggs and bunnies really have to do with it.

We hope that with finding out the truth you will be able to have a true relationship with our Lord and Savior, one that is much deeper and more profound than what man could ever imagine with his made up stories and traditions.

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Peeping Tom’s, amateur spies, and the generally creepy have a new smartphone to crave. The Huawei P30 Pro boasts a 50x zoom camera that is going viral on social media and making tech publications scream in every direction imaginable.

Huawei’s new zoom-in camera phone feature is a privacy and surveillance nightmare. pic.twitter.com/xVlpuMSEtc

— Bessma Momani (@b_momani) April 14, 2019

In reality, cameras with this capability have been around for a long time, but not on a smartphone. There’s something sinister about a smartphone with these capabilities that have people saying, “This is awful and dangerous… I want one!”

Opinion

This may seem like no big deal to some, but the way technology has become a useful tool to those with nefarious intentions is growing as a problem in western society every day. This isn’t just a better camera on a smartphone. This is a benchmark issue, one that will drive other companies to improve their own camera capabilities until they become truly dangerous.

If Huawei can make such a wave, imagine when Apple and Samsung match or exceed them.

The paranoid and the private must be more careful as this technology improves. It’s easy to imagine someone far enough away to not be easily seen with the naked eye spying on someone at the computer or in their dressing room revealing things they don’t want others to see. On top of that, it’s a smartphone with the capability of transmitting images and videos in real time.

I understand the desire to have these capabilities, but I’m also terrified by the implications of such technology in the hands of bad people.

Quote

“It can zoom in like a DSLR, and it can quickly snap low-light photos that would normally require a tripod and a lot of patience. It has every feature you can imagine, and then some. In short: The phone can take photos that other smartphones can only dream of.” – Stan Schroeder

Final Thoughts

Technology is empowering people to do things they only dreamed of being able to do in the past. With privacy concerns already a big issue in western society, the Huawei P30 Pro will add more fuel to that raging fire.

Image Source: Camera Jabber

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Get this story in front of tens of thousands of patriots who need to see it. For every $30 you donate here, this story will be broadcast to an addition 7000 Americans or more. If you’d prefer to use PayPal, please email me at jdrucker@reagan.com and let me know which post you want boosted after you donate through PayPal.

Will you help revive the American Conservative Movement?