Welcome to Thursday!
We’re going to try and lighten things up a bit today, running through some of the non-horrible things that have been happening.
Steve Scalise is GOP’s Choice for Speaker of the House
House Majority Leader Steve Scalise is a step closer to the Speaker’s chair. Scalise emerged from a GOP caucus meeting as the party’s nominee to be the next Speaker, defeating Rep. Jim Jordan in a secret vote 113 to 99. Jordan is calling for his supporters to vote for Scalise when the vote hits the full floor. If the GOP unifies, Scalise is your next Speaker of the House. The 56th individual in our history to hold the post.
Talk about a story. Scalise has not only battled back from being nearly assassinated, he’s been fighting bone cancer. So if they give him the gavel, let’s give him a hand.
The one problem? “Speaker Steve Scalise” is a real mouth exercise.
L’Chaim! North Carolina 12-Week Law Already Saving Lives
North Carolina’s ban on abortions after 12-weeks has already saved over 1,000 lives. The Tar Heel State saw a whopping 30% drop in abortions from June to July, after the state legislature overrode Democratic governor Roy Cooper’s veto of the law. Stats from the pro-abortion research organization Guttmacher Institute show there were 2,920 abortions committed in North Carolina’s health care system in July, compared to 4,230 a month earlier. That’s 1,310 babies. As Not the Bee celebrates, that would mean over 15,000 Americans saved in a year.
NHL Season Starts … Sans Pride Tape
You’ve got your traditional New Year, your Jewish New Year, your Chinese New Year. Then for people like my sister you’ve got the true new year … the start of hockey season. The new NHL season began Tuesday night with three games … but no “Pride” tape.
The NHL sent out a memo last week to all 32 teams banning players from using rainbow-colored tape on their sticks during games, warm-ups and even practices, ESPN reported. This follows an earlier ban on Pride jerseys. The league suffered a backlash from fans and some players when it followed other sports leagues in shoving LGBTQ+ activism into their faces. Several players refused to wear “Pride” jerseys during Pride Nights feeling they violated their religious convictions.
According to ESPN, the memo clarifies the guidelines for “specialty nights.” “Players should be encouraged to express themselves off the ice,” and no player should be forced to participate in any “messaging” (for any cause) they do not feel comfortable with. The restrictions only cover on-the-ice activity.
Countdown to “Countdown to Christmas”
While we’re talking hockey, we would be remiss if we didn’t mention the first Hallmark Christmas movie of the year is hockey themed. It’s called Checkin’ It Twice, and premieres Saturday, October 21. Yep. Just nine days away.
If you can’t wait that long, Great American Family channel … which is striving to knock Hallmark Channel off its Christmas movie throne … starts its Great American Christmas one week from tomorrow. Not for nuthin’, but checking out the line-up, it looks like GAF has poached even more Hallmark stars. A group of stars — led by devout Christian and unofficial Queen of Christmas Movies Candace Cameron-Bure — defected from Hallmark last year in the hopes of doing movies that are more faith-based and in line with traditional values. Hallmark, of course, has been drifting woke the past several years.
And on that topic …
Another Dude in the Miss Universe Pageant
Add Portugal to the list of countries that have picked a male as their entry in the Miss Universe pageant. Marina Machete beat out 16 women Friday night for the Miss Portugal tiara. Machete will be joining “Miss Netherlands” Rikkie Valeria Kolle in competing next month in El Salvador.
Obviously dolling yourself up to be a beauty queen is mockery of womanhood and part of the effort to wreck the real distinctions between male and female. And voting for the biological male over the 16 women is an affront and insult. But I do have to wonder. Is the selection about woke-ism … or overzealous competitiveness?
The new owner of the Miss Universe pageant, Anne Jakkaphong Jakrajutatip, is transgender and out to make a statement. So just like putting a buff dude like Lia Thomas on your swim team to win a tournament, doesn’t having a transgender representing you at this pageant increase your chances of victory? Just a random thought on a Thursday morning.
Incidentally, the United States will be represented by Noelia Voigt of Utah, who, yes, is a woman.
Finally, talk about going out on a high note …
World’s Oldest Skydiver Passes Away … Just Days After Breaking Record
Perhaps you saw the story last week: Dorothy Hoffner at a spry 104-years-old, broke the Guinness World Record for oldest skydiver. Hoffner did a tandem jump at Skydive Chicago the Sunday before last. It wasn’t her first jump. She actually first jumped at age 100. But this one broke the record set by a 103-year-old in Sweden in 2022.
104-year-old, Dorothy Hoffner, has broke the world record for the oldest person to go skydiving 🪂 pic.twitter.com/vrjN606kvh
— Censored Men (@CensoredMen) October 4, 2023
Now comes word that Dorothy passed away Monday. A family spokesperson says the jump was a perfect cap to an “exciting, well-lived life.”
Before doing her record-breaking skydive, Dorothy was asked for her secret to a long life.
“I’m ashamed to admit, it’s probably because I am lazy. I don’t do anything strenuous or too energetic,” she said. “It’s also down to God. My heavenly father has taken good care of me.”
A week after touching the edge of the sky, Dorothy Hoffner touches the face of God.
Along The Stream
Nancy Flory has spoken with Albert Veksler, Global Director of Jerusalem Prayer Breakfast, who is in Jerusalem. He shares the strain, the pain and the resolve of Jews in the wake of the worst massacre of Jews since the Holocaust.
Stream contributor Nolan Lewallen offer Part One of “The Gaza Disaster: How We Got Here and How It Will Be Resolved.”
Stream contributor Raymond Ibrahim shares big picture background with “When Muslims Celebrate Terror, Westerners Just Shrug.”
And Dr. Michael Brown, who’s been absolutely wonderful helping Streamers sort through this tragedy, returns with “Anyone Rejoicing Over the Butchering of Babies and Children is Evil.”
Al Perrotta is the Managing Editor of The Stream, co-author, with John Zmirak, of The Politically Incorrect Guide to Immigration and co-author of the counter-terrorism memoir Hostile Intent: Protecting Yourself Against Terrorism.