Author Archives: sterlingcooper

CRYPTO SCHEMES CONTINUE TO STEAL BILLIONS!

More Nations Unite to Sanction Prince Group, a Huge Crypto Scam Organization Making Billions

Imagine scrolling through your social media feed, only to click on what seems like a golden opportunity—a friendly chat that blooms into a crypto investment tip promising quick riches. Before you know it, you’ve wired thousands to an offshore account, and poof, it’s gone. That’s the grim reality for countless Americans ensnared by “pig butchering” scams, those insidious operations where fraudsters groom victims online before bleeding them dry. Now, South Korea’s bold entry into the fray against these networks is a shot in the arm for U.S. efforts to reclaim our economic security from foreign predators.

On Thursday, Seoul dropped its first-ever independent sanctions aimed at transnational crime, targeting a whopping 15 individuals and 132 entities. This isn’t just paperwork—it’s the “largest single sanction measure in history,” as South Korea’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs put it in an official release. “It shows the government’s firm determination to actively respond to online organized crime in Southeast Asia that is causing serious damage at home and abroad.”

For everyday Americans, whose retirement savings and hard-earned cash fuel these scams to the tune of billions lost annually, this means fewer safe havens for the crooks.

At the heart of the crackdown sits the Prince Group, a Cambodia-based conglomerate led by Chen Zhi, a 38-year-old Chinese national also known as “Vincent.” U.S. authorities have painted a stark picture: Prince allegedly ran sprawling “scam centers” in Cambodia and Myanmar, stuffing them with trafficked workers—lured by bogus job ads—forced to man 1,250 mobile phones controlling 76,000 fake social media accounts.

These setups didn’t just target South Koreans; they preyed on folks worldwide, including a surge of American victims in recent years. The U.S. Treasury slapped Prince with a “Transnational Criminal Organization” label back in October, right alongside the UK, which detailed how these outfits peddle love scams and crypto cons under the shadow of torture threats.

Zhi himself faces federal charges in New York for wire fraud and money laundering conspiracies, with the Department of Justice seizing about $15 billion in bitcoin from his wallets on October 14. That’s real money—enough to fund entire communities back home—stolen from trusting Americans chasing the dream of financial independence.

And it’s not isolated: The same sanctions netted Huione Group, another Cambodian player the Treasury fingered in May as a key laundry for North Korean cyber heists and Southeast Asian fraud rings.

“Huione Group serves as a critical node for laundering proceeds of cyber heists carried out by the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea (DPRK), and for Transnational Criminal Organizations in Southeast Asia perpetrating virtual currency investment scams,” the department warned.

Prince, for its part, fired back through high-powered U.S. lawyers at Boies Schiller Flexner. “The recent allegations are baseless and appear aimed at justifying the unlawful seizure of assets worth billions of dollars,” the group claimed in a November 11 statement.

They’re lawyered up and denying it all—but the mounting evidence from Phnom Penh to Washington tells a different story. Singapore piled on last month, freezing over 150 million Singapore dollars in assets tied to the network, from bank accounts to cold hard cash.

This international pile-on didn’t happen in a vacuum. It kicked into high gear after a gut-wrenching incident in August: a South Korean university student tortured to death in a Cambodian scam compound. That tragedy spurred Seoul and Phnom Penh to launch a joint task force in October, a practical step toward dismantling these human-trafficking-fueled fraud factories. For the U.S., it’s a reminder of why we lead on sanctions—our Treasury’s moves often light the fuse for allies to follow, starving these operations of the global financial lifelines they need to thrive.

What does this mean for American families and businesses? Less tolerance for the kind of economic sabotage that erodes trust in our markets and drains wealth from Main Street. These scams aren’t victimless—they hit retirees in Florida, young investors in Texas, and small savers everywhere, turning the promise of American opportunity into a nightmare. By joining forces with Seoul, London, and beyond, we’re not just punishing the guilty; we’re fortifying our borders against digital thieves. It’s a win for free enterprise, where honest work and smart risks should pay off, not line the pockets of overseas kingpins.

As probes deepen, keep an eye on your inboxes and feeds—verify before you invest, and report the suspicious. In the end, cracking down on these empires isn’t charity; it’s essential to keeping America’s economic engine humming strong.

COLOR CODED WOKE NEW ENGLAND AREAS AND BONUS FOR NEW YORK, CLEVELAND AND CHICAGO ENJOY THE HILARITY

This Color Coded Map Describing Different Parts Of Massachusetts Is So Spot-On It Hurts. BONUS – Hoodmaps Breakdowns Of NYC, Chicago, and Cleveland

te11/26/2025 5:15 PM

This thing right here is a masterpiece.

Most maps care about roads and rivers. This one cares about shit you mutter to yourself in the car when you miss your exit.

It is not about counties, its about stereotypes. Which, in New England, count as official documentation and are basically legally binding.

This has been making the rounds of Masshole twitter the last 48 hours, and honestly, whoever doctored up these captions hit it out of the park. Let’s take a lap around the good old Bay State, giving the most honest tour of New England ever.

The North

Featured on Barstool

Cows

Way up top above Western Mass, what some might call Vermont you got “Cows”. That is the whole shabang. No Starbucks. No sidewalks. Just barns, mud, and kids in Carhartt who can fix tractors with duct tape and a YouTube video.

Gay hippies

Slide east a little and you hit “Gay hippies”. This is the UVM heartland. It is basically Ben & Jerry’s in human form. Subarus with every cause imaginable on the bumper, flannels, pronouns in the bio, and thirty different kinds of hummus in the fridge.

Pumpkins and anarchists

Head east in New Hampshire and we are in the land of “Pumpkins and anarchists”. Around these parts it is permanently October.

Every porch has a carved gourd, and every town meeting has one guy screaming about zoning laws while sipping small-batch cider out of a mason jar. It’s quaint but the people here never let you forget their license plates say “Live Free or DIE” on them for a reason.

Republican refugee zone

Then it flips hard into the “Republican refugee zone”. That is where people go when they want zero taxes, six ATVs, and a Facebook page where they post nothing but Constitution and founding father memes while lounging in a hot tub.

Tax-free shopping

Right below that is “Tax-free shopping”-ville. This is the pilgrimage site. Here they legit have liquor warehouses the size of Gillette, and outlet malls packed with Mass plates flying over the border to save eight dollars on a flatscreen.

Vacation & Lobstahs

Off the coast, you get “Vacation & Lobstahs”. Maine. If you’re lucky and they got it like that, your parents rent a cottage, you fall in love with one lobster roll that costs your entire allowance, and the whole town closes down at like 8 p.m. And don’t let Hampton Beach fool you.

Beaches with killer flies

That little red strip is “Beaches with killer flies.”

It looks absolutely gorgeous in photos. But in real life you are being physically attacked by insects that I swear are actually attracted to Off bug repellant.

The Western Edge

Definitely NOT New England

To the west, you have “Definitely NOT New England.” Upstate New York. Everyone that lives there owns three Adirondacks hoodies and will fistfight you if you suggest they really shouldn’t be Yankees fans because they’re technically closer to Boston and Toronto than they are NYC.

Cultured Hill-Folk

Cross the border into western Massachusetts and you are in the land of the “Cultured Hill-Folk”.

AKA the Berkshires.

Rich city people LARPing as rugged mountain folk between trips to Tanglewood and farm-to-table brunch. A really special place.

Hippie farmers

Next patch west we reach the “Hippie farmers”.

They farm everything. Kale, weed, and lengthy explanations. While driving through here, be forewarned that if you stop at a roadside stand to buy eggs, you will somehow leave with a TED Talk on Monsanto.

Hippie students

Below that is “Hippie students.” UMass, Amherst, Northampton. Every third person living here is in a band and a co-op and some non-traditional relationship structure. Book it. The entire local economy is comprised of thrift stores, burritos, and vape cartridges.

Blight & Basketball

Head south from Umass and you get nothing but “Blight & Basketball.”

Springfield.

Honestly the saddest place I’ve personally ever been. Respectfully speaking of course.

This is (somehow) home of the Basketball Hall of Fame and has way more Dunkins than functioning traffic lights. You come here once for a school field trip and once to buy a sketchy used car off craigslist and then hopefully never again.

Annexed Territory of the Evil Empire

Farther south is “Annexed Territory of the Evil Empire.”

Yankee land. Technically New England, but spiritually this is the visitors dugout at Fenway. YES Network is the default here. NESN is not available.

Hell

Under that, with the arrow, is Hell. AKA New York City. Amazing food, elite nightlife, plus traffic, crime, and prices that will make you question every life choice you have ever made.

Central Mass

THERE BE DRAGONS HERE

Right in the middle of Massachusetts, there is apparently a map just says “THERE BE DRAGONS HERE”. That is is cute and the person who made this map made me chuckle with that one. My take is that that is just a polite way of saying, “No one outside 495 can name a single town in this area.”

Snow and long commutes (oh yeah and Worcester)

Next to that is “Snow and long commutes (oh yeah and Worcester).”

That is where you spend half your life shoveling and the other half parked on the Pike wondering why you have not moved to literally anywhere else. Worcester gets tossed in like an afterthought, which is exactly how the state treats it. Personally, I would have gone with Timberlands, Polo hats, DUIs, and heroine, but that’s just me.

The Suburban Ring

Leafy, Liberal, and Loaded

To the east is “Leafy, Liberal, and Loaded.”

Every single driveway without fail has a Volvo or Tesla parked in it, every yard has a rainbow or BLM sign, and every dad has a LinkedIn headline longer than the Old Testament.

Mill Towns & Methadone

Up north is “Mill Towns & Methadone.” The dozens and dozens of red brick factories scattered in every town here used to power the Industrial Revolution. Now they are half loft apartments with Edison bulbs and half settings for your cousin’s relapse story. And the women resemble the sisters in The Fighter. It’s uncanny.

Boston And Friends

Townies & Immigrants

Around the harbor you hit what is essentially Plymouth Rock for “Townies & Immigrants”. We’re talkin triple-deckers, laundry on porches, and every grandmother lives on a block with four official languages and eight pizza spots. (And they’re all named “something House Of Pizza”)

Every bar has a framed picture of someone’s cousin who “almost” made the Bruins.

Commies

Cross the river and you are in The People’s Republic of Cambridge, aka “Commies”.

This is Cambridge and Somerville. Home to elite educational institutions and people who pay four grand a month to share a house with six roommates and then spend their free time arguing about bus lanes on Twitter. Special place.

The Hub of the Universe

At the center of everything, literally, the little red speck, is “The Hub of the Universe”. That is downtown Boston baby.

Six streets, all one way, and not one going where you need.

Ask anyone from there, and you would think they invented democracy and seafood. The most overly self-confident people you will ever encounter.

North Shore

Witches, fishermen, and quaint-ass towns

Up in the northeast, along the north shore you have Witches, Fishermen, and quaint-ass towns. We’re talkling Salem, Gloucester, Rockport. Half tourists filming witch TikToks, half people who have been on boats since age nine and hate your fucking rental car and tourist ass being in their town.

(Sidebar- if I had one bone to pick with this map maker, it would be how do you leave “roast beef sandwiches” off the Northshore? They practically invented the damn thing.)

The South And Southeast

Gillette Stadium

Head south of Boston and there is a giant blue blob labeled “Gillette Stadium.”

Foxboro, Walpole, Sharon, Route 1, whatever. It all merges into one massive parking lot where people grill in a snowstorm to watch the Pats play for 3 hours so they can get back in their cars and wait 5 hours to get out of the parking lot.

Irish Riviera(r)

Slide east from there and you’re into the “Irish Riviera(r).”

South Shore beaches where every other family name starts with O’. The bars pour Guinness year round, and half the town migrates to Florida from January to March like pale Catholic geese.

Cranberry Bogs

Below that is “Cranberry Bogs”. Depending on the month, you either get beautiful Hallmark scenery or the most depressing stretch of Route 28 you have ever white-knuckled through. No in between.

West Portugal

Hugging the coast here you hit “West Portugal.” Here is the land of John Feitelberg- New Bedford and Fall River.

Unreal Portuguese food, Ronaldo jerseys hanging in every bar. If the Brazilian mafia is a thing, this is their base.

Rotaries & Traffic jams

Then you smash into “Rotaries & Traffic jams”. Braintree, Weymouth, all the ramps where civil engineers just gave up. You’ve never seen anything more chaotic in your life. Don’t even bother attempting to drive without pissing somebody else off. It’s impossible.

Connecticut And Rhode Island

Questionably New England

Western Connecticut is “Questionably New England” according to this map. Yes, I agree, it looks like New York, claims New England, and basically lives at Target. These people make me sick. They will wear a Yankees hat on Saturday, and then a Pats jersey on Sunday.

Pretty New England

Eastern Connecticut is “Pretty New England.” Which is fair. Here you have covered bridges, and farm stands as far as the eye can see. And parents who still send handwritten Christmas cards with a family newsletter no one asked for. (“What’s your mailing address?”)

People who talk weirder and drive worse than us

Then you hit Rhode Island, aka Rhody- formally titled “People who talk weirder and drive worse than us”. I love this one so much. The artist couldn’t have been more correct. Been saying it my whole life. Bostonians get made the most fun of, but the Rhode Island accent sounds like Boston and Long Island got in a bar fight. It’s wild.

(Sidebar- Every on-ramp is a fight for life. And I’m pretty sure newborn infants come out of the womb with a Pall Mall in their fingers asking for a light)

Cape & Islands

White Florida

Cross the ~~Bourne~~ Fasoli bridge and you are in “White Florida”. Older couples, golf carts, and guys whose entire personality is knowing the tide chart. Plus the best fried seafood you will ever have in your life.

Wahm beaches

The next zone is “Wahm beaches.” This is “the family Cape”. Here you’ll find plenty of moms in big hats yelling at their translucent children to “Put more sunscreen on” while the kids house Del’s lemonade. (I am fucking obsessed with Del’s)

Wicked cold beaches

Curl around the arm and you get “Wicked cold beaches”. The water is about 38 degrees in August. On a good day. You go in once, lose feeling in your legs, and then insist it was “so refreshing” while your teeth chatter out of your skull.

Gaycationland

At the very tip is “Gaycationland.” Provincetown. Drag brunch, rainbow flags, paintings you can’t afford, and nightlife that makes straight people look like they have never had fun correctly in their lives. (Fun fact – I saw my first over-the-pants handjob here when I was like 6 while waiting in line for ice cream behind a group of guys and am still in therapy all these years later.)

The White Caribbean

Finally the islands- “The White Caribbean.”

Nantucket and Martha’s Vineyard.

Everything costs triple or quadruple, and you will still happily pay it just to post one sunset from here, and pretend you have a boat.

This map hits all the marks because every New Englander secretly agrees with it. We will talk trash endlessly about each other all day, Cows vs Cranberry Bogs vs Commies, but the second someone from outside the six-state bubble opens their mouth, we close ranks like the Battle of The Bastards.

BONUS –

This isn’t anything new, but there’s still a decent number of people out there who have never heard of “Hoodmaps“.

If you want to kill some time around the post-Thanksgiving dinner table this week, pull this baby up and pull up your city. Zoom in, neighborhood by neighborhood, and watch hilarity ensue.

Here are a few of the best – Enjoy

Boston –

Chicago –

New York –

Cleveland –

THE MOST SECURE FLORIDA HOMESTEAD IS NOT ON ANY BEACH

Inside Secret Florida Enclave Luring Celebrities and Billionaires With Unrivaled Privacy, Military Guards—and Incredible Mansions

Secret Florida Enclave of luxury homes and celebrities

Realtor.com/Daniel Petroni Photography

An exclusive community in southern Florida is proving itself to be a rising power player in the luxury housing market, going toe-to-toe against the likes of Palm Beach and Miami in a David vs. Goliath-style battle of wealth and privilege.

For years, Florida’s most moneyed residents have flocked to Miami and its surrounding areas, seeking out a life of luxury rarely found elsewhere in the U.S. Yet that dominance is now being challenged by a little-known neighborhood located in Delray Beach, about 90 minutes north of “the Magic City.”

Just last month, Hollywood A-lister Mark Wahlberg made headlines when he dropped $37 million on a newly constructed megamansion inside the enclave—only to be followed weeks later by Rockstar energy drink founder Russ Weiner, who is in contract on two properties in the community, worth a total of $43 million.

So what is it about this secretive sanctuary that has helped to reel in such high-profile property owners?

On paper, Stone Creek Ranch—a “prestigious” enclave made up of less than 40 luxury homes—is a world away from Miami, Manalapan, and Palm Beach: It offers no beaches, no celebrity-approved nightlife, and no glitzy designer shopping.

Yet it offers one very particular luxury that is proving to be quite the draw among the one percent: total and absolute privacy that is safeguarded by a team of armed professionals who watch over the community 24/7—a majority of whom come from previous jobs in law enforcement or the military.

Prospective residents’ entry into the community is policed just as carefully: Any homebuyers seeking to purchase one of just 37 private residences within Stone Creek are required to go through rigorous criminal background checks before they can even attempt to secure a home there.

An exclusive and secretive Florida enclave is quickly becoming the new hot spot for rich and powerful homebuyers, including the likes of actor Mark Wahlberg, who just bought a $37 million mansion there. Daniel Petroni

Stone Creek Ranch in Delray Beach, FL, offers one very important amenity that cannot be found in places like Miami or Palm Beach: total privacy that is safeguarded by a team of armed guards.Daniel Petroni

For the rich and powerful, that level of security and privacy is far more “valuable” than any beach or boat dock could ever be, according to real estate agent Senada Adzem of Douglas Elliman, whose team has been responsible for the sale of a majority of homes inside Stone Creek.

Adzem tells Realtor.com® that she has seen a significant shift in her wealthy clients’ demands over the last few years. Those who would once never have considered living in a Florida mansion without private beach access or a dock capable of housing their yacht are now turning their backs on those amenities in favor of seclusion away from prying eyes.

“I’m working with a very high-profile couple right now [who] no longer want to live on Star Island in Miami … because [they feel they cannot] enjoy their pool or their yard with people on boats going past and taking pictures,” Adzem revealed.

“They just want to have their peace. And that makes so much sense. [Privacy] is valuable to them. They’d rather have all this privacy where no one is looking at them, they can run around with their kids, they can wear whatever. That’s what’s really valuable.”

In a bid to secure that oh-so sought-after luxury, that couple has turned to Stone Creek, Adzem revealed, noting that she is currently trying to secure them a property in an off-market deal—because none of the community’s mansions are actually on the market.

Although each of the properties in Stone Creek offers water frontage, because they overlook a private lake, there is no risk of strangers sailing past in a boat and gawking at your backyard—a threat that looms over even the most exclusive areas of Miami and Palm Beach, including the infamous Indian Creek Island, where the likes of Tom Brady and Jeff Bezos currently reside.

That privacy is amplified by the fact that the majority of properties in Stone Creek offer very impressive acreage, which keeps a good distance between each home and makes it feel “like you don’t have neighbors at all.”

Another big draw of Stone Creek is one that Adzem says many people “overlook,” but has often been one of the most alluring aspects of the community: its access to five of the top private schools in Palm Beach County.

As for the homes themselves, there is an extraordinary level of extravagance and luxury on offer to discerning homebuyers.

Wahlberg’s new property, for example, spans 18,206 square feet and boasts seven bedrooms, 10 full bathrooms, two powder rooms, a home theater, cigar lounge, wine cellar, gym, sauna, guesthouse, and resort-style pool.

A Florida Mansion next door to Mark Wahlberg — Listing agent Senada Adzem revealed that many of her clients are now seeking out homes in Stone Creek Ranch instead of places like Palm Beach. Daniel Petroni Photography

An aerial view of Florida Mansion next door to Mark Wahlberg — The community is located around a man-made lake, which means there is no risk of strangers sailing past in boats and looking into your backyard. Daniel Petroni Photography

Christened Palazzo di Lago, the mansion was designed by developer Aldo Stark, who drew inspiration from Italian architecture to create an “architectural masterpiece” that was described as offering “the pinnacle of luxury living in South Florida.”

Luxurious finishes and fixtures can be found in every room of the home, including “exquisite crystal chandeliers” that were custom-designed to cast an “ethereal glow” throughout the dwelling.

One of the more unique amenities in the home is its hidden cigar lounge, which boasts an advanced air-purification system.

Just across the lake sits a similarly opulent mansion—currently under offer by Rockstar founder Weiner—which is known as Villa Ananda and sprawls across nearly 11,500 square feet.

It is situated on a 2.5-acre waterfront plot with an “extraordinary” 660 feet of private water frontage and boasts some truly amazing amenities, including an enormous primary suite that occupies an entire wing, a glittering pool, and a “club room” with a 150-inch projection screen.

Additionally, Stark is currently in the process of building an even more impressive Stone Creek property that will be listed “in the $75 million range,” Adzem revealed.

Wahlberg’s purchase of his home also highlighted another lesser-publicized detail about the value of homes in Stone Creek: impressive ROI potential.

As first reported by CNBC, the actor’s new mansion underwent a 118% price increase between January 2020, when it sold for $17 million, and October 2025, when Wahlberg paid $37 million for the dwelling.

While Adzem noted that she cannot guarantee that kind of lucrative return on every property within Stone Creek, she said that the skyrocketing value of Wahlberg’s new home is indicative of trends she is seeing within the community.

“I do see the pattern in terms of rising values within the community,” she revealed. “I started working in this community in 2018 and I saw the potential where you have something that’s really unique.”

Stone Creek Ranch — For the rich and powerful, that level of security and privacy is far more “valuable” than any beach or boat dock could ever be, according to Adzem. Daniel Petroni Photography

Market trends in Delray Beach mirror this impressive increase in home value, with Realtor.com data revealing that the median listing price in the area has shot up from $617,000 in October 2018 to $1.1 million in October 2025, a growth of more than 80%.

Demand for homes has also gone through a very similar surge. When Adzem first began marketing properties in Stone Creek, she admits that the community was a bit of a “steep road” to convince her wealthy clientele of the community’s appeal—particularly because many of them wanted homes that offered golf course access or private clubhouses.

“It was a steep road for me, because many prospects would say, ‘I want to be on the ocean, I want to be on the coast, and I want to have a yacht in front or I want to be able to walk on the beach,'” she explained.

Now, however, instead of having to pitch homebuyers on the “value” of Stone Creek, she says clients are requesting properties within the enclave.

“We have clients who can afford to live anywhere in the world but they choose to live in Stone Creek,” she explained. “We’ve sold 17 properties in the past five years, both homes and lots, and garnered global attention.

“I no longer have to explain what Stone Creek Ranch offers because you have so many big names in business and celebrity who live there.

“The buyers who have appreciated what Stone Creek has to offer understand that they can still go to the ocean, but they can also not worry about their family when they’re traveling and they can have full-time security personnel. They don’t have to think about people walking by their home and seeing into their backyard.”

Stone Creek is also conveniently located at what Adzem describes as a “nexus” between several popular locations, including the “artsy” community of Delray Beach, Miami, and Boca Raton, providing residents with the best of every world.

“Delray is a new hot spot with a really cool vibe: You have fabulous restaurants, you have the art scene. I almost compare it to Soho in New York, it’s a very vibrant, young scene,” Adzem added.

“A lot of our clients really appreciate the fact that they can have their big resort-style mansions in private, then they can go to Palm Beach in 30 minutes, or they can go to downtown Delray and to the beach. Then they can go to Miami, which takes about an hour.

“Boca Raton is also less than half an hour away and features amazing restaurants, and a really beautiful, affluent scene.”

BABY BOOMERS ARE RICHEST GENERATION WITH $85 TRILLION IN ASSETS

Baby Boomers are richest generation with $85 TRILLION in assets—younger gens have no chance of catching up

Boomers “entered the labor force during decades of strong economic growth, rising productivity and relatively high real wages.”

The Baby Boomer generation holds $85 trillion in assets, meaning they are the wealthiest generation so far in the United States. However, new research has shown their success will be difficult to match by other generations.

According to research from NYU economics professor Edward Wolf, the reason comes down to timing as well as investing in the stock market and other assets before they grew in value. The four decades between 1983 and 2022, when Baby Boomers saw their wealth increase, also saw the wealth of others decline in real value, as detailed in a paper for the National Bureau of Economic Research.

“It’s astonishing how their relative wealth has taken off in the last 30-plus years,” said NYU economics professor Edward Wolff, per the Washington Post. “They started out as among the poorest groups in terms of wealth back in 1983.”

The generated wealth of the Baby Boomer generation came from uniquely favorable timing of investments as well as real estate. With housing costs, the Baby Boomer generation also paid a smaller portion of their expenses to housing costs.

Olivia Mitchell, a professor of business economics and public policy at the University of Pennsylvania’s Wharton School, said that Boomers “entered the labor force during decades of strong economic growth, rising productivity and relatively high real wages.”

They were able to invest and earn during their prime years in the workforce in bull markets during the 1980s and 1990s. There were lower tuition costs, lower healthcare costs, as well as a number of other advantages.

Additionally, they had a number of favorable tax policies, such as lower capital gains tax rates. In contrast, younger generations of Millennials got their careers started in the 2000s, with the Great Recession running from 2007 to 2009. Markets afterwards have also been more volatile.

“Particularly for middle-income workers, real wage gains since the 2000s have been modest, compared to the robust wage growth that Boomers benefited from mid-career,” Mitchell added. By age 30, Millennials had about two times the debt as their Baby Boomer counterparts, according to Jeremy Ney, a professor of business at Columbia University.

After World War II, “You had this tremendous boom that many got to ride for a very long period of time,” Ney said. “And when you compare that to the bursting of the dot-com bubble, when you compare that to the 2008 housing crisis, when you compare that to the declines of covid, it made it much more difficult for people to invest, accumulate wealth,” Ney added.

About half of the wealth held by Boomers is tied up in stocks, bonds, or other mutual funds held in retirement accounts, and had over $85 trillion through the second quarter of 2025. Younger generations, however, are much more likely to have debt, leaving less to save or invest.

Boomers were also in a better position to refinance their homes during the Great Recession when interest rates were dropped by the Fed, meaning housing costs were able to be lowered for many in the Boomer generation.

FRAUDULENT COMMERCIAL DRIVER LICENSES ISSUED BY CALIFORNIA ARE BEING CANCELLED!

California to Revoke 17,000 CDLs for Immigrants

Move Follows Criticism From Trump Administration

Key Takeaways:

California plans to revoke 17,000 commercial driver licenses given to immigrants after discovering the expiration dates went past when the drivers were legally allowed to be in the U.S., state officials said Nov. 12.

Federal Criticism and High-Profile Crashes Intensify Scrutiny

The announcement follows harsh criticism from the Trump administration about California and other states granting licenses to people in the country illegally. The issue was thrust into the public’s consciousness in August, when a tractor-trailer driver not authorized to be in the U.S. made an illegal U-turn and caused a crash in Florida that killed three people.

Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy said Nov. 12 that California’s action to revoke these licenses is an admission that the state acted improperly even though it previously defended its licensing standards. California launched its review of CDLs it issued after Duffy raised concerns.

State and Federal Officials Dispute Responsibility

“After weeks of claiming they did nothing wrong, Gavin Newsom and California have been caught red-handed. Now that we’ve exposed their lies, 17,000 illegally issued trucking licenses are being revoked,” Duffy said, referring to the state’s governor. “This is just the tip of the iceberg. My team will continue to force California to prove they have removed every illegal immigrant from behind the wheel of semitrucks and school buses.”

Duffy

Newsom’s office said that every one of the drivers whose license is being revoked had valid work authorizations from the federal government. At first, his office declined to disclose the exact reason for revoking the licenses, saying only they violated state law. Later, his office revealed the state law it was referring to was one that requires the licenses expire on or before a person’s legal status to be in the United States ends, as reported to the DMV.

Still, Newsom’s spokesperson Brandon Richards shot back at Duffy in a statement.

“Once again, the Sean ‘Road Rules’ Duffy fails to share the truth — spreading easily disproven falsehoods in a sad and desperate attempt to please his dear leader,” Richards said.

Fatal truck crashes in Texas and Alabama earlier this year also highlight questions about these licenses. A fiery California crash that killed three people last month involved a truck driver in the country illegally, only adding to the concerns.

Newsom

Duffy previously imposed new restrictions on which immigrants can qualify for CDLs. He said earlier this fall that California and five other states had improperly issued CDLs to non-citizens, but California is the only state Duffy has taken action against because it was the first one where an audit was completed. The reviews in the other states have been delayed by the government shutdown, but the Transportation Department is urging all of them to tighten their standards.

Duffy revoked $40 million in federal funding because he said California isn’t enforcing English-language requirements for truckers, and he reiterated Nov. 12 that he will take another $160 million from the state over these improperly issued licenses if they don’t invalidate every illegal license and address all the concerns. But revoking these licenses is part of the state’s effort to comply.

New Federal CDL Rules Significantly Limit Immigrant Eligibility

The new rules for CDLs that Duffy announced in September make getting them extremely hard for immigrants because only three specific classes of visa holders will be eligible. States will also have to verify an applicant’s immigration status in a federal database. The licenses will be valid for up to one year unless the applicant’s visa expires sooner.

Impact on Current Non-citizen Drivers and License Renewals

Under the new rules, only 10,000 of the 200,000 non-citizens who have commercial licenses would qualify for them, which would only be available to drivers who have an H-2a, H-2b or E-2 visa. H-2a is for temporary agricultural workers while H-2b is for temporary non-agricultural workers, and E-2 is for people who make substantial investments in a U.S. business. But the rules won’t be enforced retroactively, so those 190,000 drivers will be allowed to keep their commercial licenses at least until they come up for renewal.

Those new requirements were not in place at the time the 17,000 California licenses were issued. But those drivers were given notices that their licenses will expire in 60 days.

Audit Findings Show Long-Expired Work Permits on Valid CDLs

Duffy said in September that investigators found that one quarter of the 145 licenses they reviewed in California shouldn’t have been issued. He cited four California licenses that remained valid after the driver’s work permit expired — sometimes years after.

California Says It Followed Federal Guidance

Newsom’s office said the state followed guidance it received from the U.S. Department of Homeland Security about issuing these licenses to non-citizens.

REGULATIONS CAUSING NEW HOME BUILDING TO BE SO EXPENSIVE!

Reasons Home Buying Has Become So Expensive

America’s housing market is in deep trouble, with prices soaring beyond the reach of everyday families chasing the dream of homeownership. This isn’t just a market glitch—it’s a man-made mess rooted in decades of poor decisions that have strangled supply and inflated costs. Market experts lay out three core culprits behind this affordability nightmare, and fixing them could restore opportunity for millions.

First off, zoning rules across the country act like iron gates, blocking new homes from being built where they’re needed most. Communities cling to outdated restrictions that favor the status quo over growth, leaving potential buyers out in the cold.

“There are just many, many ways to halt and stop development,” said Joseph Gyourko, professor of real estate and finance at the Wharton School at the University of Pennsylvania. “And we’ve gotten very, very good at it in the United States.”

Then come the land-use hurdles, a tangled web of regulations that pile on expenses and drag out timelines for builders. From local mandates forcing developers to foot the bill for infrastructure like roads and utilities, to outright efforts to slow down progress, these barriers turn affordable projects into luxury-priced realities.

Jim Tobin, president and CEO of the National Association of Home Builders, put it plainly: “Regulatory burdens really do add up on the unaffordability index. We estimate that 24% of the cost of a single-family home is embedded in regulations at all three levels of local, state and federal government. That comes out to roughly $94,000 in regulatory costs.” He added, “Sometimes there are communities that just regulate because they want to impede growth, they don’t want more homes built.” And on the delays: “Time is money in real estate. You own the land, you’re paying taxes and, while you wait for local approvals, costs keep rising. Then many communities require developers to install sewer, water, roads and electrical infrastructure and all of that gets folded into the final price of the home.”

Financial policies round out the trio, keeping interest rates elevated and regulations tight, which chokes off new construction. Cutting back on wasteful government spending could ease borrowing costs and clear the path for more homes, revitalizing the market that underpins American wealth-building.

E.J. Antoni, chief economist at the Heritage Foundation, explained: “The best way to thaw this frozen housing market is to reduce government spending to relieve pressure on interest rates and roll back burdensome regulations. [He added that such steps] would in turn increase production of new homes.”

This crisis hits hard at the heart of what makes America strong—families building equity through their homes, passing on stability to the next generation. As Tobin warned, “The more we delay ownership, the later we delay wealth creation in this country. And that’s the challenge ahead of everybody right now.”

Without bold action to boost supply, we risk a generation locked out of the prosperity that homeownership brings, weakening the economic foundation we’ve fought to build.

ISLAMIC CANDIDATES WIN ALL OVER THE COUNTRY! ANYBODY NOTICED?

WARNING: 42 Muslim Candidates Have Seized Control of U.S. Elections — CAIR’s Political Army Has Arrived

RAIR Foundation

In the span of one election, CAIR’s decades-long blueprint for political domination has come to life — forty-two Muslim candidates, backed by a Hamas-linked network, have seized key offices across America, proving that the Muslim Brotherhood’s plan to infiltrate from mosque to city hall is no longer a warning, but a reality.

They told us the plan. Now we’re watching it unfold — in real time.

This week, terror-linked Islamic organizations are celebrating a stunning milestone: a record forty-two Muslim candidates elected to public office across the United States, the most significant wave of Muslim political victories in American history.

According to the Council on American-Islamic Relations’ (CAIR) own data, the newly elected officials span at least nine states — New York, Virginia, Michigan, New Jersey, Maryland, Washington, Ohio, Pennsylvania, and North Carolina. The list includes five mayors, four state legislators, two judges, and dozens of city council, county, and school board members.

While establishment media frame this as “representation,” the organizations behind it are anything but benign. CAIR — named by the U.S. Department of Justice as an unindicted co-conspirator in the largest terrorism-financing trial in American history — is openly boasting that their decades-long political strategy is succeeding.

CAIR’s Founder Publicly Revealed the Plan

Just weeks ago, RAIR Foundation USA exposed CAIR founder Nihad Awad preaching from a California mosque, where he unveiled a decades-long blueprint to embed Islamic influence inside America’s core institutions.

“We have 4,000 mosques in the country… If each mosque funds five students in journalism, filmmaking, political science, and law… by 2050, we will have 100,000 of each — and we will run for office at all levels of government.”

That was not a sermon. That was a mobilization order. Awad instructed American Muslims to stop donating to overseas relief and instead fund political power inside the United States.

He declared that “political engagement must become the norm” and named CAIR as the vehicle to carry out the strategy.

The Political Machine: CAIR’s New Super PAC

To turn Awad’s vision into political reality, CAIR quietly launched its own federal Super PAC, the Unity & Justice Fund, giving the Islamic network a powerful financial engine to capture U.S. elections.

Within months of its creation, the PAC was already funneling six-figure sums into key races — including the New York City mayoral election that propelled Zohran K. Mamdani to victory, making him the city’s first Muslim mayor.

Awad and CAIR leaders have openly taught congregants how to use mosques as political launchpads — leveraging tax-exempt religious institutions and CAIR’s 501(c)(4) network to build campaign infrastructure. The result is a political machine operating from the pulpit to the ballot box, financed through the same Islamic centers that claim to be apolitical houses of worship.

From the Pulpit to Power: Who They Just Elected

The 2025 elections shattered every record for Muslim representation in American politics — marking a historic leap from mosque activism to municipal and state power.

Among the most prominent victories:

Zohran K. Mamdani (New York City, NY) — the first Muslim mayor of New York City, a self-described socialist who campaigned on housing reform, police defunding, and immigrant rights.
Ghazala Hashmi (Virginia) — the first Muslim lieutenant governor in U.S. history and the first Muslim woman ever elected statewide.
Abdullah Hammoud (Dearborn, MI) and Mo Baydoun (Dearborn Heights, MI) — mayors of Michigan’s two largest Muslim-majority cities.
Faizul Kabir (College Park, MD) — software engineer turned activist, now mayor.
Ted Green (East Orange, NJ) — reelected with CAIR Action backing.
Adam Alharbi (Hamtramck, MI) — officially certified November 9, 2025, winning the state’s closest race and ensuring Hamtramck remains under Muslim leadership.
Ajmeri Hoque (Franklin County, OH) and Soma S. Syed (New York) — newly elected judges.
Yusef Salaam (New York City Council, District 9) — one of the “Exonerated Five,” now a major progressive voice in city politics.

CAIR celebrated these victories as the culmination of a decade-long campaign to embed Muslim activists across the civic and political mainstream. In 2010, fewer than twenty Muslims held elected office nationwide; by 2020, that number had tripled. In 2025, it has more than doubled again — a transformation powered by relentless organizing and strategic messaging.

Numbers Behind the Milestone

According to CAIR’s updated report, 76 Muslim candidates ran for office nationwide and 43 have been declared winners, with three races still pending recounts or certification.

Breakdown of wins:

Mayors: 6 (including Mamdani, Hammoud, Baydoun, Kabir, Green, Alharbi)
Statewide & Legislative Offices: 4
City & Town Councils / Commissioners: 20
Judicial & County Offices: 2
Education & School Boards: 6
Other Positions: 3

CAIR and its political arm, CAIR Action, say totals may still rise as final certifications are completed.

The “Normalization” Strategy

CAIR’s narrative is that these wins represent a triumph of “democracy over hate.” But behind the language of “justice” and “representation” lies a deliberate effort to normalize Islamic political power within the U.S. system — replacing integration with influence.

In Western ears, words like “justice” and “representation” sound civic and inclusive. But within Islamic political thought, they carry a far deeper — and more strategic — meaning. Justice (ʿadl) is not equality under secular law; it is the realization of divine order under Sharia. Representation does not mean pluralism; it means advancing the Ummah’s collective strength to secure space for Islamic interests inside non-Muslim societies. When CAIR leaders invoke “justice” and “representation,” they are speaking in dual language — offering Americans a vocabulary of rights while signaling to their base a mission of ideological empowerment.

Awad and his affiliates have reframed mosque participation as a political duty. Muslim Network TV, which heavily promoted the election results, hailed the rise as proof that American democracy is “big enough for all of us.” But CAIR’s own founders and international partners trace their lineage directly to the Muslim Brotherhood — an organization whose stated goal is to establish global Islamic governance under Sharia.

This is why CAIR invests so heavily in the four key fields Awad himself identified: media, education, law, and politics. These are the pillars through which culture, legislation, and public perception are reshaped from within — not to integrate Islam into the American system, but to gradually transform that system to accommodate and eventually defer to Islamic authority.

How They’re Doing ItCAIR’s “civil rights” facade conceals a coordinated infrastructure:

Mosques as political hubs: Awad’s speeches in Texas and California instruct imams to train and fund political candidates under the mosque’s 501(c)(3) umbrella, a direct violation of tax-exempt rules.
CAIR Action and the Unity & Justice Fund: Twin advocacy arms designed to fund campaigns, produce media, and conduct voter mobilization.
Media arms: Muslim Network TV, Islamic Relief, and Yaqeen Institute amplify the narrative of “Muslim empowerment,” providing free airtime and press coverage for endorsed candidates.
University networks: Muslim Student Associations (MSAs) and aligned campus groups groom the next wave of activists who will “run for office at all levels of government.”

This is not spontaneous civic engagement — it’s an orchestrated movement.

The Results: An Islamic Bloc in American Politics

The forty-two Muslim officials elected in 2025 now occupy positions in some of the most influential jurisdictions in the country — from the New York mayor’s office to Virginia’s executive branch, from Michigan’s heartland to local school boards.

Each of these victories represents a node of influence in a growing political network that transcends state lines. CAIR and its affiliates are already preparing a 2025–2026 Directory of Elected Muslim Officials and expanding civic-education programs to mobilize even more candidates before the 2026 midterms.

What the media calls a “historic first,” CAIR calls “phase one.”

America’s Institutions Are Being Rebuilt — by Design

The United States is witnessing a quiet political revolution. Under the banner of “inclusion” and “representation,” the Muslim Brotherhood’s ideological heirs are advancing a long-term strategy to embed Islamist influence in every layer of American governance.

They are not waiting for 2050. It is happening now.

While political leaders and journalists applaud the surface optics of “diversity,” they ignore the deeper infrastructure behind it — a network of mosques, PACs, nonprofit fronts, and activist pipelines engineered to transform America’s institutions from within.

The question is no longer whether this will happen. It’s whether Americans will wake up in time to stop it.

RAIR Foundation USA will continue to document CAIR’s political infiltration strategy — from its use of tax-exempt mosques to its manipulation of “civil rights” rhetoric — exposing how this Hamas-linked organization is quietly reshaping the civic landscape of the United States.

NANCY PELOSI, THE GREEDY DEMOCRATIC OPPORTUNIST FINALLY LEAVING WASHINGTON!

How Nancy Pelosi Betrayed the People She Pretended to Protect

Pelosi leaves behind a party addicted to performance and a nation more cynical than ever.

by John Mac Ghlionn

Former House Speaker Nancy Pelosi will retire from Congress this year (Fox News/Youtube)

Nancy Pelosi’s farewell was less a retirement than an encore — one final pirouette in the long, exhausting pageant of American power. For nearly forty years, she ruled Washington like a monarch in pearls and Prada. A mistress of manipulation whose smile stretched wider than the chasm between her sermons and her sins. When Barack Obama gushed that she was “one of the best speakers the House has ever had,” he wasn’t lying. Pelosi could speak. She could sermonize, sanctify, and spin with unmatched flair. What she never managed was to see beyond herself.

Pelosi will be remembered as a pioneer…. What she truly built was a dynasty of deceit, a system where influence erases consequence.

Her gift was never governance; it was performance in its purest form. Pelosi turned morality into marketing, and the House into her own Broadway stage. The taxpayer was merely her patron. When she wasn’t preaching unity, she was kneeling in a Kente cloth beside Chuck Schumer, a tableau so contrived it made Hollywood blush. The moment was hailed as courage by the credulous and as comedy by everyone else. Yet it defined her perfectly: the politics of pose over purpose, where conviction is cosmetic and every crisis demands a wardrobe change.

Behind the podium, she preached compassion; behind closed doors, she perfected profit. Her husband, Paul Pelosi, traded stocks with timing so immaculate it bordered on clairvoyance. From Tesla to tech IPOs, the Pelosi portfolio outperformed the market like divine revelation. Any other citizen might have faced indictment; Pelosi faced applause. “We’re a free-market economy,” she quipped once, flashing that lacquered smile. Indeed — and few have freeloaded on freedom with such finesse.

In Washington, she ruled not by charm but by fear, flattery, and an inexhaustible supply of donor cash. Committee seats became favors; loyalty, currency. To her admirers, she was Saint Nancy, defender of democracy. To her detractors, Machiavelli in Manolo heels. Both descriptions fit. She was relentless, calculating, and convinced that virtue, like diamonds, mattered only when it caught the light.

Under her watch, the Democratic Party traded its working-class conscience for an identity crisis. The language of labor was replaced by the lexicon of grievance; solidarity gave way to sanctimony. She made politics about feelings, not fairness — optics, not outcomes. The party of Roosevelt became the party of hashtags, curated for social media rather than sustained by substance.

Pelosi learned early that outrage paid better than compromise. Every cultural wound became a weapon — every tragedy, a means to tighten her grip. When George Floyd’s death convulsed the nation, she moved quickly, not toward compassion but control. She spoke of justice while supporting policies that gutted police forces and left the poorest neighborhoods to fend for themselves. Businesses burned, families fled, and those meant to be helped were hurt most. Yet the fury persisted, because it served its purpose. Pelosi understood what few dared admit: outrage could be organized, monetized, and endlessly recycled. The country didn’t need healing — not when division had become the Democrats’ most dependable currency.

Her true genius, though, was survival. Scandal never stuck, but it should have. When she was caught sneaking into a shuttered San Francisco salon at the height of California’s COVID lockdowns, maskless and defiant, it wasn’t just vanity on display. In truth, it was hierarchy. Ordinary citizens were fined for walking their dogs without a face covering, but the Speaker of the House could stroll in for a blowout. And when caught, she didn’t apologize — she blamed the owner for “setting her up,” as though she were the victim of a sting, not the author of hypocrisy. It was a perfect parable of Pelosi’s power: the rules were for the ruled. The scandal should have ended her career; instead, it reminded Washington who still ran the show. The city forgave her not because it believed her, but because she was one of them — a creature of privilege thriving in a town where shame is optional and memory is short.

Meanwhile, the country she claimed to serve crumbled under her watch. Her San Francisco mansion — marble, manicured, and guarded — stood as a monument to the very inequities she railed against. Beyond its gates lay the city she abandoned, a wasteland of fentanyl, filth, and fear. She preached equality while presiding over decay, promising dignity to the same people left to step over needles and corpses. The contrast might have been tragic if it weren’t deliberate — progress for her class, paralysis for everyone else.

To her supporters, Pelosi’s retirement marks the end of an era. To history, it should mark the end of an illusion. She was the architect of a new American decay — one built on branding, not belief; on image, not integrity. Under her stewardship, the Democrats became a hall of mirrors: billionaires, bureaucrats, and activists echoing each other’s delusions, feeding each other’s arrogance, and scorning the very people they swore to serve. She presided over the death of dialogue, turning debate into denunciation. Every disagreement became a moral crime, every opponent a heretic to be hunted rather than heard.

Pelosi will be remembered as a pioneer, the first woman to wield the Speaker’s gavel. But titles are cheap. What she truly built was a dynasty of deceit, a system where influence erases consequence.

The curtain falls, the crowd disperses, but the stage remains — still propped up by patrons, lacquered in lies. Pelosi leaves behind a party addicted to performance and a nation more cynical than ever. She exits not as a leader, but as proof that corruption, when accessorized correctly, can pass for class.

HOW SHARIA LAW VIOLATES EVERYTHING OUR COUNTRY WAS FOUNDED ON!!!

Loving our neighbors does not mean compromising truth.

From the moment I first studied the United States Constitution through the lens of scripture, I’ve been struck by how carefully our founders embedded God-given liberty into the fabric of our nation. Freedom of conscience, equality before God, and protection from government overreach are not just political ideas; they are biblical principles.

The more I study, the clearer it becomes that Islamic systems like sharia law, enforced as government policy abroad, stand in sharp contrast to both the freedoms our Constitution guarantees and the liberties scripture upholds.

Christians must be informed, discerning, and proactive in defending freedoms that allow people to come to God freely.

Sharia law, when enforced as government policy, conflicts with constitutional freedom and biblical principles of liberty, including protections for personal conscience, speech, and moral choice.

Sharia law vs. constitutional liberty

Sharia law is a system derived from Islamic religious texts, guiding personal conduct and societal governance.

In countries where it is enforced, it often dictates punishments, civil law, and social norms based on religious authority rather than individual liberty. This approach contrasts sharply with the U.S. Constitution, which separates church and state, ensuring that government does not dictate religious belief or practice.

Scripture emphasizes the importance of freedom in Christ. Galatians 5:1 reminds us, “It is for freedom that Christ has set us free. Stand firm, then, and do not let yourselves be burdened again by a yoke of slavery.” The Constitution mirrors this principle, protecting Americans from coercion in matters of conscience, ensuring that individuals may follow God freely without fear of government reprisal.

Real-world examples of sharia governance

When we examine Muslim nations governed by sharia-based systems, the consequences for personal freedom are clear.

In countries like Saudi Arabia, Iran, and Afghanistan, civil and criminal codes often derive directly from religious texts. These laws enforce strict moral codes, restrict freedom of speech, and impose severe punishments on offenses such as theft, adultery, or apostasy.

Punishments include public lashings, stonings, and even amputations for certain crimes. LGBTQ individuals face particularly harsh treatment, including imprisonment, corporal punishment, or death. Women’s rights and freedom of expression are often restricted as well.

These policies illustrate a system in which government enforces religious conformity, which directly conflicts with the freedom of conscience guaranteed by the Constitution. The U.S. founders recognized that human governments are fallible; they designed laws to protect liberty and allow people to make moral and spiritual choices voluntarily rather than under coercion.

The biblical perspective on liberty and government

Scripture provides a firm framework for understanding liberty. Romans 13:1-4 teaches that governments are instituted to punish wrongdoers and maintain order, but within limits. Civil authority is meant to restrain evil while upholding justice, not to enforce religious orthodoxy.

John 8:32 reminds us, “Then you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free.” True freedom, in both spiritual and civil contexts, comes from the ability to choose God and live according to His moral order voluntarily.

The Constitution’s protections for freedom of religion, speech, and equal protection under the law reflect these same biblical principles. They ensure that no one is coerced into adherence to a particular religious code, preserving liberty and human dignity.

Sharia-based governance, when implemented as law, replaces personal conscience with mandatory religious observance, undermining the freedoms that God and the founders intended.

How Christians should respond

Loving our neighbors does not mean ignoring the truth about systems of governance. But discernment calls us to distinguish between individuals and systems of law that impose religious authority on entire societies.

Christians are called to defend freedom and truth, speaking boldly yet compassionately.

Understanding the differences between sharia-based governance and constitutional liberty is not purely academic; it’s practical. Nations that merge religion and state often face suppression of speech, persecution of minorities, and human rights violations. Christians must be informed, discerning, and proactive in defending freedoms that allow people to come to God freely.

Practical engagement may include:

Praying for wisdom to navigate cultural and political issues.
Educating others about the value of freedom of conscience.
Participating in civic discourse in ways that honor God while upholding liberty.

Sharia law and the protection of minorities

One area that starkly highlights the contrast is treatment of LGBTQ individuals. In sharia-governed regions, homosexuality is often criminalized, with penalties ranging from imprisonment to corporal punishment, even death. Theft or other criminal offenses can result in amputations, and adultery may be punished by stoning.

Christians are charged to uphold liberty, educate themselves on systems that restrict freedom, and advocate for policies that reflect God’s justice while protecting human conscience.

These practices illustrate the deep conflict between enforced religious law and personal freedom, especially for vulnerable minorities.

In contrast, the U.S. Constitution protects all citizens, ensuring legal equality, freedom of conscience, and due process. The biblical principle that every person is made in the image of God (Genesis 1:27) supports the need to defend dignity and liberty for all.

Historical lessons and modern implications

History demonstrates that societies enforcing religious law as government policy often struggle with oppression and instability. By embedding freedom and separation of powers, the U.S. Constitution creates space for citizens to practice faith voluntarily, without fear of legal coercion.

As Christians, we can see how these principles align with biblical teaching and recognize why coercive religious legal systems are incompatible with God’s design for human freedom.

Standing for freedom with compassion

Understanding these contrasts calls us to vigilance, prayer, and action. Christians are charged to uphold liberty, educate themselves on systems that restrict freedom, and advocate for policies that reflect God’s justice while protecting human conscience.

Loving our neighbors does not mean compromising truth; it means defending freedom in a way that is rooted in Christ’s example of compassion and moral clarity.

By examining Islam as a governance system, we see clearly the importance of constitutional and biblical liberty. Freedom of conscience, protection of minorities, and the ability to choose God freely are not negotiable — they are foundational to both faith and the American experiment.

Standing for these freedoms is an act of love, truth, and obedience to God.

This article is adapted from an essay originally published at Arch Kennedy’s blog.

GLUTEN, THE “MANUFACTURED” FEAR ALLERGY THAT PEOPLE THINK THEY HAVE

Study Shows Vast Majority Who Think They Have Gluten Issues Really Don’t

For over a decade, gluten has been the bogeyman of modern diets — blamed for everything from fatigue to brain fog to mysterious stomach aches. Supermarkets built entire aisles around “gluten-free” products. Restaurants rushed to label their menus. Millions swore they felt better once they ditched bread. But new research suggests much of the panic was misplaced — and perhaps, orchestrated.

According to a new analysis published this week, the vast majority of people who believe they have gluten sensitivity actually don’t. Researchers found that only a small fraction of self-diagnosed “gluten intolerant” individuals display any measurable physiological reaction to gluten itself. For most, the culprit appears to be something else entirely — often the carbohydrates known as FODMAPs (fermentable short-chain carbohydrates) found in wheat and other foods, or even psychological conditioning from years of health scare marketing.

In short: many people have been avoiding bread for no reason.

The Gluten-Free Gold Rush

The study’s findings expose an uncomfortable truth: gluten-free living became a billion-dollar industry built on hype, not hard science. In the early 2010s, “gluten” became synonymous with poison. A handful of small studies and a wave of celebrity endorsements — from Gwyneth Paltrow to Tom Brady — helped cement the narrative that gluten caused inflammation, bloating, and mental fog.

But the science never quite caught up with the marketing. Celiac disease, a genuine autoimmune disorder triggered by gluten, affects only about 1% of the population. Yet surveys show up to 30% of Americans have tried a gluten-free diet, and nearly 10% claim to be gluten-sensitive. That’s tens of millions of people rejecting bread, pasta, and beer — often substituting heavily processed “gluten-free” alternatives that are lower in nutrients and higher in sugar.

Who benefited? Food conglomerates, health influencers, and pharmaceutical giants selling “gut repair” supplements. It was an easy narrative to sell: your body is broken, but we can fix it — for a price.

The Psychology of Manufactured Fear

Researchers now believe the “nocebo effect” — the negative counterpart of the placebo effect — plays a major role in perceived gluten intolerance. When people believe a substance will harm them, their body often produces real symptoms in response.

While about 10% of adults worldwide report bloating, fatigue or gut pain after eating foods containing gluten, only 16% to 30% of those cases show true gluten-specific reactions, the paper found.

For years, media outlets, wellness gurus, and even government-backed dietary guidelines fed this hysteria by emphasizing “food sensitivity” as a kind of catch-all diagnosis. It dovetailed perfectly with the modern health anxiety complex — a digitally fueled obsession with self-diagnosis, symptom tracking, and purity.

By the time the gluten-free movement peaked, it wasn’t just about health — it was about identity. Going gluten-free became a badge of awareness, a quiet rebellion against Big Food, and a form of social signaling. Ironically, it was Big Food itself that made it profitable. Even more ironically, the movement pushed many Americans deeper into ultraprocessed food consumption to achieve their gluten-free lifestyles.

The Real Issue May Be the System, Not the Wheat

If gluten isn’t the true villain, what is? The new study suggests many of the symptoms blamed on gluten may stem from something deeper: the industrialization of food itself.

Modern wheat is genetically modified, heavily treated with herbicides like glyphosate, and processed in ways that strip it of natural enzymes and micronutrients. Our gut health — devastated by antibiotics, processed oils, and chemical additives — is far less resilient than it was a generation ago. So while “gluten” might not be the sole trigger, the entire ecosystem around our food has changed.

In other words, people may not be reacting to gluten — they may be reacting to modern food. This is especially potent in western society’s addiction to heavily processed carbohydrates.

That’s a much harder problem to fix, because it implicates everything from corporate agriculture and seed monopolies to chemical regulators and profit-driven nutritionists. It’s easier to sell a gluten-free muffin than to reform a broken food system.

From Gluten Panic to Food Control

There’s also a darker angle here — one that fits the pattern of how health trends can be weaponized for profit and control. Just as “fat-free” and “low-sodium” campaigns of past decades laid the groundwork for processed food empires, the gluten-free wave served as a psychological and logistical trial run for centralized dietary influence.

Each new food scare — cholesterol, sugar, gluten, meat — helps train the public to comply with authority over their own choices. Every few years, a new “enemy ingredient” emerges. And every time, the same players — the food industry, the media, and government regulators — profit from the fear they spread.

Perhaps the deeper truth is this: gluten wasn’t the problem. Control was.

When you strip away the marketing, the fake science, and the fear campaigns, you’re left with something simple — human beings disconnected from the foods that once sustained them. Real bread made from stone-ground wheat, naturally fermented and free of chemical residue, doesn’t make people sick. It nourishes them. The sickness comes from a system that’s forgotten what food even means.