Virology Professor Vincent Racaniello joined Mike Slater on Monday to break down the known side effects of the new COVID-19 vaccine from Moderna.

Similar to other vaccines, side effects include soreness at the injection site, fever, muscle aches, headaches, migraines, malaise, and lethargy.

“Those are usually common side effects you get after getting an injection… the real question is: are there going to be more serious affects?”

WATCH:

November 30, 2020 at 03:44PM - Matt Howerton
The side effects of the new vaccine by Moderna
Read the full story by clicking this headline, at The First TV

“Republicans don’t get credit for the things they do accomplish,” Dana Loesch said on her first post-Thanksgiving show on Monday. One great example came over the weekend in the form of the media’s praise for the so-called president-elect’s “all female communications team.”

“Well, Trump has an all-female Comms. team. But see, Trump doesn’t get credit for it,” she argued. “Republicans never get credit for it.”

It’s all part of the Left’s narrative of identity politics, she explained.

“What progressives do is refuse to acknowledge their existence altogether.”

WATCH:

November 30, 2020 at 03:33PM - Matt Howerton
Media give Biden credit for what Trump did | Dana Loesch
Read the full story by clicking this headline, at The First TV

We all must endure stages of life that include great loss and grief. At first, it may seem unbearable. We hope the following scripture will provide you or a friend with the comfort of knowing that there is eternal life and you are not alone in your pain.

Psalm 147:3

“He heals the brokenhearted and binds up their wounds.”

Matthew 5:4

“Blessed are those who mourn, for they will be comforted.”

Psalm 34:18

“The Lord is close to the brokenhearted and saves those who are crushed in spirit.”

Romans 8:18

“For I consider that the sufferings of this present time are not worth comparing with the glory that is to be revealed to us.”

John 3:16

“For God so loved the world, that he gave his only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life.”

Revelation 21:4

“He will wipe away every tear from their eyes, and death shall be no more, neither shall there be mourning, nor crying, nor pain anymore, for the former things have passed away.“

Romans 8:38

“For I am convinced that neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor rulers, nor things present, nor things to come, nor powers, nor anything above, nor anything below, nor anything else in all creation can separate us from the love of God that is ours in union with the Messiah Jesus, our Lord.”

Thank you for reading this article from the “Faith” section. Be sure to read more from The First’s “Resources” page HERE.

November 30, 2020 at 11:59AM - Matt Howerton
7 Bible verses to help cope with grief & loss
Read the full story by clicking this headline, at The First TV

All eyes are on the stock market. The Dow topped 30,000 last week for the first time in history before slipping back and is on track for its best month since 1987, more than three decades ago. The bull market is powered by good news about Coronavirus vaccines and the prospect of an end to the trade wars, but so far that optimism is not reflected in the greater economy.

COVID-19 is still raging and despite the fact that the election is over, some jurisdictions are enacting new restrictions to combat the winter wave of infections. If you live in California, New Jersey, or even red states like Oklahoma and Texas, you may have been subject to new social distancing guidelines aimed at slowing the spread of Coronavirus over the Thanksgiving holiday.

While your 401k is probably looking really good these days, you may have taken a pay cut or lost hours due to the pandemic. You may also be on the cusp of a layoff as many parts of the economy slow once again. Conversely, you may be one of the many unemployed or underemployed Americans watching the stock market enviously, having already cashed in your retirement accounts to make ends meet.

The viral surge that is spawning these new restrictions is also responsible for economic data that indicates a slowing economy. For example, personal disposable income fell by a whopping $134.8 billion (0.8 percent) while personal expenditures rose by $70.9 billion (0.5 percent) per the Bureau of Economic Analysis‘s report last Wednesday. Similarly, a Department of Labor release from the same day indicated that unemployment filings have risen for the past two weeks. This is the first time since July that unemployment has increased over consecutive weeks. Although unemployment is down from the highs of last spring, the reports indicate that the jobs recovery is losing steam.

The slowing jobs market can be blamed on both the surging virus and the expiration of the CARES Act. Passed in March, many aspects of the COVID relief bill expired in September. The popular Paycheck Protection Program, which provided federal funding of payrolls for companies that did not lay off workers, was one of the first programs to lapse. Many of my friends who work in the airline industry got their furlough notices shortly after and are now being laid off.

Unless Congress acts to pass a new relief bill, there are several other federal programs that will expire at the end of the year, just as more workers are likely to be finding themselves unemployed as seasonal jobs come to an end and the winter virus surge forces more shutdowns. These include:

• An extra $300 added to weekly payments by presidential Executive Order expires Dec. 27
• An extra 13 weeks of unemployment benefits (for a total of 39 weeks) under the CARES Act expires Jan. 1
• Pandemic Unemployment Assistance for people who wouldn’t normally qualify for unemployment benefits expires Dec. 31
• A CDC moratorium on evictions for renters expires Dec. 31
• A federal student loan deferment under the CARES Act and extended by President Trump expires Dec. 31

You may notice that I use the term “relief” instead of “stimulus.” That’s because the CARES Act and any follow-on bill would be designed to prevent an economic crash by providing relief to affected Americans rather than trying to stimulate the economy. For example, if Americans become unemployed due to the COVID crisis and burn through their savings, it may lead to a real estate crisis as they get behind in rent and mortgage payments. If you remember 2008, you remember how a collapsing real estate bubble can cascade throughout the economy.

Further, the middle of a pandemic is not a good time to lose a job that provides your medical insurance. While many COVID patients are asymptomatic, about 15 percent require hospitalization. Patients with health insurance can be faced with bills totaling thousands of dollars. Patients without insurance could face financial disaster. COBRA insurance is available for people who lose their jobs but the cost is often prohibitive.

To be fair, not all of the economic news is bad. Like the stock market, consumer confidence is still high, owing largely to good news about upcoming vaccines.

And therein lies the rub. As I’ve said from the beginning, repairing the economy depends on defeating COVID. We won’t get back to normal until the virus is defeated.

We are getting very close to a victory over the Coronavirus, but it will take several months before a vaccine can be fully deployed. Until that time, we need to maintain social distancing and other mitigations such as staying home when you display symptoms and quarantining if you’ve been exposed.

In order to make that financially possible, many American businesses and citizens are going to need assistance to make it through the winter. The difference in having a relief package and going without may be the difference between the status quo and a much deeper recession with many more failed businesses and unemployed Americans.

Follow David Thornton on Twitter (@captainkudzu) and Facebook

The First TV contributor network is a place for vibrant thought and ideas. Opinions expressed here do not necessarily reflect those of The First or The First TV. We want to foster dialogue, create conversation, and debate ideas. See something you like or don’t like? Reach out to the author or to us at [email protected].

November 30, 2020 at 10:57AM - David Thornton
The stock market is surging. The economy is not.
Read the full story by clicking this headline, at The First TV

After eight months of pandemic, it now seems that not one, but three, vaccines are nearing approval. The question is how many Americans will be willing to take the vaccines. There seems to be a growing anti-vaccination movement, but even people who don’t oppose vaccines in general might be skeptical about the COVID vaccines for political reasons. At least one objection, the question of whether the vaccines used stem cells from aborted babies, is now being addressed by Christian ethicists.

Anti-vaccination activists have a variety of rationales for their position, but one that I have heard frequently from Christians is that some vaccines were made using fetal tissue from surgically aborted babies. This presents an ethical dilemma for those of us who oppose abortion on moral grounds.

The good news is that this objection does not apply to all vaccines. Further good news is that two of the three leading vaccines are ethically sourced and do not use fetal tissue from elective abortions.

Doctors at the pro-life Charlotte Lozier Institute have investigated the most advanced vaccine research efforts and categorized them as ethical or unethical.

“While some may see no ethical problem, for many a straight line can be drawn from the ending of a human life in an abortion to a vaccine or drug created using cells derived from the harvesting of the fetal tissue,” the author’s of the institute’s assessment state. “Even if the cells have been propagated for years in the laboratory far removed from the abortion, that connection line remains.  Thus, use of such cells for vaccine production raises problems of conscience for anyone who might be offered that vaccine and is aware of its lineage.  Moreover, the possibility of conscientious objection by those to whom a vaccine is offered creates ethical demands on the policymakers, healthcare officials, scientists, vaccine creators and funders, whether or not they themselves have an ethical concern, because of the question of access to the vaccine by the entire citizenry in good conscience.”

Of the three most promising vaccines, Pfizer, Moderna, and AstraZeneca, two are rated by the institute as “ethically uncontroversial.” These are the Pfizer and Moderna vaccines, both of which are more than 90 percent effective. However, the AstraZeneca vaccine, which is being developed in partnership with the University of Oxford, is considered unethical because it uses the HEK293 line of embryonic kidney cells, which may have come from an elective abortion in the 1960s. The identity of the unborn baby and the circumstances of its abortion are not publicly known.

While some other vaccines may also use fetal stem cells, points out that not all use of fetal tissue is ethically questionable. The Bioethics Observatory points out that fetal tissue that was obtained from spontaneous miscarriages or medically necessary abortions can be ethically used provided there is “consent from the parents and the fetus should be treated with the utmost respect.”

In a recent memo reported in America Magazine, Bishop Kevin C. Rhoades and Archbishop Joseph F. Naumann the US Council of Catholic Bishops point out, “Neither the Pfizer nor the Moderna vaccine involved the use of cell lines that originated in fetal tissue taken from the body of an aborted baby at any level of design, development, or production.”

The memo explains that the Catholic Church’s view is that Christians should not use stem cells obtained from aborted babies, but the Church understands that there are different levels of responsibility at different points in the chain that brings vaccines to market. Vaccine creators have different culpability from patients who will receive the vaccine.

The bishops take the practical view that “it is morally permissible to accept vaccination when there are no alternatives and there is a serious risk to health.”

In other words, unethically-produced medicines can still be used to save lives in emergencies. This loophole is not needed for the Pfizer and Moderna vaccines, however.

“In terms of the moral principles of being concerned about the use of any pharmaceuticals that were developed from aborted fetuses, that is certainly an issue that we all want to be cognizant of and try to avoid their use,” said Brian Kane, the senior director of ethics for the Catholic Health Association of the United States. “With that in mind, the Pfizer and Moderna Covid vaccines that are coming out are not even tainted with that moral problem.”

Others, such as Megan Best of the Gospel Coalition, argue that even using fetal tissue from elective abortions is not unethical provided that the abortion was not carried out for the specific purpose of harvesting the cells.

If “the abortion was carried out for other reasons, and the tissue was acquired after the child’s death for the purpose medical research,” she writes, “The use of the vaccine now will not promote further abortions for this particular purpose. It can therefore be argued that we are not morally complicit with the original abortion.”

“While never condoning evil acts so that good may result, the Bible teaches of a loving God who seeks to make good out of evil,” Best continues. “Though linked, participation in the good does not endorse the evil.”

Regardless of which view you take on fetal tissue research, the Pfizer and Moderna vaccines present no ethical problems. However, even knowing that Coronavirus vaccines were not based on aborted fetal tissue, many people still will not want to take one. That brings up another ethical quandary, the question of whether refusing to take a vaccine that will enable us to end a pandemic that has already resulted in more than a million deaths around the world reflects the love that God wants us to show for our fellow man.

Follow David Thornton on Twitter (@captainkudzu) and Facebook

The First TV contributor network is a place for vibrant thought and ideas. Opinions expressed here do not necessarily reflect those of The First or The First TV. We want to foster dialogue, create conversation, and debate ideas. See something you like or don’t like? Reach out to the author or to us at [email protected].

November 29, 2020 at 01:42PM - David Thornton
Christian ethicists ‘bless’ two leading COVID vaccines (but not the third)
Read the full story by clicking this headline, at The First TV

Bad things happen to good people. Here’s a corollary: bad people prosper.

“Good” and “bad” people are really mental constructs and very dependent on one’s point of view, but “bad things” are pretty well established fact around the world. Dying is generally accepted as a bad thing, for instance. Being homeless, hungry, cold, lonely, and poor are objectively bad things.

We, in political high dudgeon, tend to get caught up in the “other side” rhetoric of who is “good” and “bad” yet ignore the objectively bad things that happen to people regardless of their status or what team they root for. This might be good for politics, but it’s horribly destructive to our spiritual health.

If you study the book of Job, thought to be the oldest text in the Bible, you see this played out wonderfully, with logic and rational reasoning between Job, who considers himself a good man, and his friends, who believe Job has something hidden in his character to provoke God to cause such a hurricane of bad in Job’s life. In Chapter 21, Job’s complaint to God and the wicked is clearly laid out.

⁴“Is my complaint directed to a human being?
    Why should I not be impatient?
⁵ Look at me and be appalled;
    clap your hand over your mouth.
⁶ When I think about this, I am terrified;
    trembling seizes my body.
⁷ Why do the wicked live on,
    growing old and increasing in power?
⁸ They see their children established around them,
    their offspring before their eyes.
⁹ Their homes are safe and free from fear;
    the rod of God is not on them.
¹⁰ Their bulls never fail to breed;
    their cows calve and do not miscarry.
¹¹ They send forth their children as a flock;
    their little ones dance about.
¹² They sing to the music of timbrel and lyre;
    they make merry to the sound of the pipe.
¹³ They spend their years in prosperity
    and go down to the grave in peace.
¹⁴ Yet they say to God, ‘Leave us alone!
    We have no desire to know your ways.
¹⁵ Who is the Almighty, that we should serve him?
    What would we gain by praying to him?’
¹⁶ But their prosperity is not in their own hands,
    so I stand aloof from the plans of the wicked.

Let’s translate this to today’s language. A Catholic man who spent his whole life in politics, who at one time was a pro-life Democrat but has now set aside the cause of innocent unborn life, who has himself suffered many of the tragedies of Job, is going to be president. He aligns himself with many people who are like the ones Job described, who say to God, “Leave us alone! We have no desire to know your ways.”

This man replaces a man who has sided with Christian definitions of “good” causes like the sacredness of unborn life, the freedom to pray and teach our children to pray, and offering political blessings to other nations that support things American (mostly white) evangelicals value. But this man himself has said to God that he’s good enough, and doesn’t need to observe God’s ways–that somehow supporting others who do observe is enough to gain him God’s favor.

Obviously, the results here are not “good” from the (white, evangelical) Christian’s perspective of getting what we want. Perhaps it’s good to change our perspective instead of going further and further down a cave filled with conspiracy, ill feelings and curses against fellow humans on the “other side” of our political desires.

In Job 38, the Lord answered:

² “Who is this that obscures my plans
    with words without knowledge?
³ Brace yourself like a man;
    I will question you,
    and you shall answer me.

⁴ “Where were you when I laid the earth’s foundation?
    Tell me, if you understand.
⁵ Who marked off its dimensions? Surely you know!
    Who stretched a measuring line across it?
⁶ On what were its footings set,
    or who laid its cornerstone--
⁷ while the morning stars sang together
    and all the angels shouted for joy?

Indulge me a side trip into objective truth here if you would.

The Lord is invoking cosmic history as the foundation of His answer. The Bible repeatedly reminds us that God’s love, and His power, are limitless, infinite, higher than the highest mountain, deeper than the lowest valley, wider than the widest ocean, and so on, in simile that we mere mortals can comprehend.

I suppose God could say that His love is more real and as infinite as the value of Pi (?), which is an irrational number that stretches on to infinity. Yet without ? we cannot describe a circle. Or maybe God can say he created Euler’s number (e), another irrational constant, without which we cannot mathematically express light waves, quantum physics or many other properties that we know to represent the truth of our universe and our reality. God’s answer to Job is that God created objective truth, because God created reality, which we can never perfectly represent with our limited perspective.

God’s love is reality, and is also irrational. From a rational perspective, we cannot fathom why good things happen to bad people–why the wicked prosper. We cannot understand why couples who want a child are struck with miscarriages and stillbirths and children with severe disabilities. We can’t understand why people who “shout their abortion” go through life without a care, having money, comfort and political power.

But we are not God.

There is no “good” and “bad” in terms of people, because God created us all equally imbued with His spirit, and with moral free agency. The angels do not possess this–they have great power in our reality, but limited to what God allows them to do. Angels who rebelled against God’s ways are excluded from His plan. Men who rebel against God’s ways are blessed and welcome to join Him if they merely accept His Lordship over their lives. Angels cannot repent, nor can they return from their prodigal ways. They either serve God or oppose Him, and therefore oppose us, as their jealousy of our blessings consumes them.

Even the most demented and depraved human is not “bad” enough to be rejected by God if they repent and turn to Him with a tender heart.

When we pray that God would grant us power and comfort because of our own “good” intentions, and that He would punish the “other side” for their wickedness, we are not really working in God’s plan. His plan is to redeem us all.

The truly wicked, those whose lives end without redemption, gain their full reward. They are forever separated from God. This one fact, if held to the standard of our political beliefs, should overwhelm all other discussion. In fact, the mere possibility of eternity in Hell should be the only discussion worth having in this life.

My complaint about the other side is that they are not loved enough, not cherished enough, not valued enough by many who say they are on the Lord’s side, to show them, through objective good works, kindness, gentleness, patience, long-suffering, joy, and above all, love, the infinite and irrational riches of God’s reality.

God bless ye merry gentleman, and enjoy the next few weeks as we approach Christmas, the celebration of the birth of Joy in the world, that shows us how we are to live each day.

Follow Steve on Twitter @stevengberman.

The First TV contributor network is a place for vibrant thought and ideas. Opinions expressed here do not necessarily reflect those of The First or The First TV. We want to foster dialogue, create conversation, and debate ideas. See something you like or don’t like? Reach out to the author or to us at [email protected]. 

November 29, 2020 at 08:02AM - Steve Berman
My complaint about the other side
Read the full story by clicking this headline, at The First TV

The Supreme Court decision invalidating portions of an Executive Order by New York Governor Andrew Cuomo earlier this week was a triumph for religious liberty. It is also a good example of why fears that pandemic restrictions will lead to broader tyranny are unfounded.

The ruling in the case of Roman Catholic Diocese of Brooklyn, New York v. Andrew M. Cuomo came the day before Thanksgiving and was a response to two requests for relief by the Roman Catholic Diocese and Agudath Israel of America. At issue was Gov. Cuomo’s Executive Order that established “red” and “orange” zones where attendance at religious services was limited to no more than 10 and 25 people respectively.

One problem with Cuomo’s Order was that businesses deemed “essential” had no limit on crowd sizes. Additionally, the definition of “essential” included “acupuncture facilities, campgrounds, garages, as well as many whose services are not limited to those that can be regarded as essential, such as all plants manufacturing chemicals and microelectronics and all transportation facilities.”

Further, both religious groups had complied with public health guidelines as well as implementing additional preventive measures. Both groups noted that they had conducted services at 25 to 33 percent capacity for months and had no outbreaks.

In a 5-4 decision, the majority concurred with the unsigned order that ruled in favor of the religious groups. Justices Neal Gorsuch, Brett Kavanaugh, and Chief Justice John Roberts wrote separate concurring opinions while Justices Breyer, Sotomayor, and Kagan joined in a dissent.

The opinion is brief and strikes a balanced tone, first establishing the rules on which the relief was ordered. The ruling states that ” because the challenged restrictions are not ‘neutral’ and of ‘general applicability,’ they must satisfy ‘strict scrutiny,’ and this means that they must be ‘narrowly tailored’ to serve a ‘compelling’ state interest.”

The Court agreed that “stemming the spread of COVID–19 is unquestionably a compelling interest,” but noted that the Executive Order was “far more restrictive than any COVID–related regulations that have previously come before the Court, much tighter than those adopted by many other jurisdictions hard-hit by the pandemic, and far more severe than has been shown to be required to prevent the spread of the virus at the applicants’ services.”

The Court further noted that New York admitted that department stores, which were not subject to the crowd-size restrictions could “literally
have hundreds of people shopping there on any given day” and that “the Governor has stated that factories and schools have contributed to the spread of COVID–19 but they are treated less harshly” than religious organizations.

Unlike many churches around the country, the Court found that the Diocese and Agudath Israel had taken more stringent safety measures than were required by the state. These precautions gave both groups an admirable safety record and helped to sway the Court that Cuomo’s Order was too restrictive.

“Not only is there no evidence that the applicants have
contributed to the spread of COVID–19 but there are many
other less restrictive rules that could be adopted to minimize the risk to those attending religious services,” the decision stated.

The majority found that Cuomo’s restrictions on churches would result in irreparable harm to the First Amendment and were not in the public interest, quoting precedent that held, “The loss of First Amendment freedoms, for even minimal periods of time, unquestionably constitutes irreparable injury.”

However, the Court did not give religious groups carte blanche to claim persecution when their activities are restricted. The ruling pointed out that pandemic restrictions are not unconstitutional on their face, but rather that health and the public interest must be balanced with the Constitution.

“Members of this Court are not public health experts, and we should respect the judgment of those with special expertise and responsibility in this area,” the decision stated. “But even in a pandemic, the Constitution cannot be put away and forgotten. The restrictions at issue here, by effectively barring many from attending religious services, strike at the very heart of the First Amendment’s guarantee of religious liberty. Before allowing this to occur, we have a duty to conduct a serious examination of the need for such a drastic measure.”

So what should we, as church members and constitutionalists take from this ruling? The most important takeaway is that temporary public health restrictions in a pandemic are not unconstitutional but they must be evenhanded and defensible based on the local situation. The Court will allow emergency orders to combat the spread of the virus but it will strike down broad overreach. This is good news for those who have worried for the past eight months that Coronavirus restrictions would usher in permanent tyranny.

Second, governments cannot single out religious organizations for stricter limitations than secular businesses and groups unless the rules are narrowly tailored to serve a compelling state interest. The First Amendment offers protection for the exercise of religion, but this protection is not unlimited.

I believe that if the New York churches had been shown to be superspreaders in the community that the Court might have handed down a very different ruling. Unfortunately, many churches around the country are not able to meet the safety standards of the Brooklyn Diocese and Agudath Israel. Many religious organizations around the country have been shown to be hotspots for viral outbreaks. These churches might find that targeted restrictions on their services would be upheld by courts that look at the facts of the situation and find a compelling public interest in slowing the outbreak.

If you’re are a pastor or are on the governing body of your church, you should absolutely take the Coronavirus pandemic seriously. You should exercise caution to protect both your members and your community. If your local government places draconian restrictions on your church, you can challenge those restrictions in court and you’ll have a better chance of winning if your church has not been the source of a COVID cluster.

Follow David Thornton on Twitter (@captainkudzu) and Facebook

The First TV contributor network is a place for vibrant thought and ideas. Opinions expressed here do not necessarily reflect those of The First or The First TV. We want to foster dialogue, create conversation, and debate ideas. See something you like or don’t like? Reach out to the author or to us at [email protected].

November 27, 2020 at 11:52AM - David Thornton
SCOTUS gets it right on COVID restrictions for churches
Read the full story by clicking this headline, at The First TV

Back in April, there was this huge push to use digital certificate technology combined with ubiquitous smartphones and near-field communications capabilities to devise some kind of “virtual safe zone” or “immunity passport” for COVID-19. That started all kinds of rumors that Bill Gates wants to implant everyone with microchips.

In fact, Gates gave a TED Talk in March. “Eventually what we’ll have to have is certificates of who’s a recovered person and who’s a vaccinated person,” Gates said, reasoning “because you don’t want people moving around the world where you’ll have some countries that won’t have it under control.” Much of the brouhaha was over some “quantum dot” injectable dye research that was partially funded by the Gates Foundation (they fund a lot of things) hasn’t progressed beyond initial research and hasn’t even been tried on humans.

So we’re left with a very do-able “digital passport” idea. Why not have some personal certificate issued by a health department that you can load on your phone? After all, they do it with movie tickets (remember movies?), sporting event tickets, airline boarding passes, and credit cards. You can touchlessly ding yourself out of the grocery store, open and start your car, unlock your house, and a variety of other deeply personal tasks using your smartphone. But we’re still using lockdowns and cancelling Thanksgiving feasts for everyone, when not everyone is susceptible or capable of spreading COVID-19.

There have been nearly 13 million COVID-19 “cases” in the U.S. as of Thanksgiving, and 263,462 deaths. Math tells us that 12.6 million haven’t died; if we subtract another 100,000 or so who are in hospitals right now, and therefore can’t be assured they’ll recover, plus let’s say another 250,000 who may actively have the virus and can spread it (those are raw estimates and likely higher than the actual numbers) that leaves 12.25 million Americans who likely can’t be reinfected and who can’t spread the virus because they are not active carriers with viral load shedding.

There is currently no way for those Americans (including me) to gather, go out to eat, shop, and live our lives in peace without dealing with the same lockdowns, restrictions and mandates affecting everyone else who needs those precautions.

Why should those of us who can’t be reinfected and can’t spread the virus wear masks? What medical reason is there for it? Why can’t a group of COVID-19 recovered individuals gather in groups as large as any of us want? Give me a medical reason for not allowing it? There are none, and the only hurdle is some way to deal with separating the “immune” from the “not immune.”

Why was Thanksgiving virtually cancelled for millions of Americans who had no medical reason to be restricted? Everyone should be pleased that the Supreme Court struck down New York’s draconian power grab to shut down religious gatherings–especially among Jews–because it was a clear violation of the First Amendment. There are around 14 million Jews in America, and over 12 million COVID survivors who are also being unfairly targeted. Where’s the lawsuit, and what court will grant us our freedom?

Bill Gates is absolutely right. When the vaccine comes out in the next month or so, those who are vaccinated (it will take up to 30 days and two doses to achieve actual immunity) will need a way to show they are protected. And then you’ll see an enormous backlash against lockdowns that affect all of us. Then, someone will do something about it, at least for those who are vaccinated.

Those of us who lived through COVID-19 and are still alive may or may not be eligible for the vaccine, but our rights should be protected from unwarranted government interference. We are not going to kill grandma, but we’re treated as if we could.

Stop persecuting COVID survivors and give us a smartphone app to prove immunity. It’s such a simple answer, I don’t know why it’s not already done.

Follow Steve on Twitter @stevengberman.

The First TV contributor network is a place for vibrant thought and ideas. Opinions expressed here do not necessarily reflect those of The First or The First TV. We want to foster dialogue, create conversation, and debate ideas. See something you like or don’t like? Reach out to the author or to us at [email protected]. 

November 27, 2020 at 07:12AM - Steve Berman
Stop persecuting COVID survivors with unnecessary lockdowns
Read the full story by clicking this headline, at The First TV

This holiday season is going to be unlike most of us have ever experienced. No matter what your opinion on politics and the virus, the fact remains that America is undergoing more adversity this year than at any other time in many of our lives. Even 2001 after the terrorist attacks and 2008 amid the financial crisis pale in comparison to what we’ve experienced this year. For many of us, it is hard to be thankful in the midst of such strife, but, for those of us who are Christian, that is exactly what we are commanded to do. Despite all the bad news, when I look around me I can see a lot of things to be thankful for.

In every thing give thanks: for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus concerning you.

1 Thessalonians 5:18

The most obvious is that, if you are alive and able to read this, you should be thankful. As the old saying goes, any day above the ground is a good one. Whether you haven’t contracted COVID or you’ve survived it, you have a great reason to be thankful.

We should also be thankful for the health of our friends and families. The Coronavirus has not touched my immediate family. I’ve had numerous friends and more distant family members contract the disease but most have recovered.

For those who haven’t recovered, I am thankful that we have a forgiving God. I am hopeful that they are removed from their pain and suffering and that we will be reunited in a better place someday.

My mom told me this week that their pastor, the man who performed my wedding, and his wife both have Coronavirus. Their church closed for two weeks in an attempt to limit the outbreak. My dad has respiratory issues and my mom is a cancer and chemotherapy survivor so I’m very thankful that they elected to continue attending church virtually rather than going to in-person services where they could have been exposed.

I’m thankful for the technology that makes social-distancing bearable. We can order groceries, meals, and toilet paper online and have them delivered or ready for pickup without putting our health at risk. I’m very thankful that toilet paper exists in general.

I’m thankful that we decided to put our children in virtual school this year and thankful that our school district offered the option. With several Coronavirus cases being announced in our local schools each week, that decision seems to have been validated. Even if my kids weren’t infected, I’m thankful that we don’t have to deal with a quarantine. On that score, I’m also thankful that virtual school means I get to sleep until 8 a.m. rather than waking up at six to get the kids ready to go to brick-and-mortar school.

I’m thankful for the time with my family that the pandemic has given me. We have seen much more of each other this year than we would have if we were going our separate ways to work and school. With my kids getting older, that extra time has been a precious gift.

I’m also thankful for the frontline medical workers and researchers who have spent the past several months fighting the virus. These people have risked their own health and lives for their neighbors. Many have died or lost their own health as a result.

Greater love hath no man than this, that a man lay down his life for his friends.

John 15:13

We should also be thankful for medical knowledge. Hundreds of years of accumulated expertise as well as more recent research have shown us that protecting ourselves and our families is as simple as:

• Maintaining a six-foot distance
• Avoiding crowds
• Avoiding confined spaces
• Wearing a mask if you can’t follow the first three rules
• Washing and/or sanitizing your hands frequently

I’m thankful for people around the country who will practice self-sacrifice on Thanksgiving and throughout the holiday season to protect the lives of their loved ones. Sometimes love is better expressed by staying away than by holding someone close.

The simplicity of protecting ourselves reminds me of the story of Naaman in the Bible, who was instructed by Elisha to wash in the Jordan River seven times to cure his leprosy. Naaman became angry at the simple and seemingly senseless command. Naaman almost didn’t do as he was told, but in the end, his servants convinced him to follow Elisha’s simple advice and he was healed. Sometimes following simple instructions leads to great rewards.

I’m thankful for our advanced medical research. It hit me last night that we had never heard of COVID-19 at this time last year. The virus has been a factor in our lives for less than a year, but we have already been able to create at least three very effective vaccines that are almost ready for mass distribution. That is an unprecedented accomplishment. I’m extremely thankful for the brilliant minds that chose to spend their lives researching and curing diseases.

Previous pandemics often lasted three years or longer. As bad as Coronavirus has been, the introduction of vaccines will cut this pandemic short, saving hundreds of thousands of lives and billions of dollars. That is truly something to be thankful for.

Those of us who still have jobs should be thankful for the steady paychecks that are still coming, even if they might be at a reduced level. We should be thankful that the CARES Act reduced the number of layoffs in the first months of the pandemic recession.

It can be difficult to thankful in the midst of unemployment and pay cuts. I know because I’ve been there. But those people can be thankful for safety net programs, for charities, and for other people who lend a hand in their moment of need.

I get by with a little help from my friends.

The Beatles

I’m thankful that, despite the angst about public health restrictions, Americans really don’t know what tyranny is. Some jurisdictions have gone too far in anti-virus regulation. Others haven’t gone far enough. None reach the level of tyranny, however. It isn’t tyranny to say “no shirt, no shoes, no service” and it isn’t tyranny to ask folks to wear a mask and social distance in the midst of a pandemic caused by a dangerous virus that is spread through the air by close contact.

Tyranny is the killing and imprisonment of dissidents and journalists in Russia, North Korea, Iran, and Saudi Arabia. Tyranny is the confiscation of private land in Zimbabwe and Venezuela. Tyranny is the Chinese government imprisoning pro-democracy demonstrators in Hong Kong.

America has problems but we don’t have tyranny. I’ll get pushback for saying that, but we should really be thankful that our freedom has survived 200 years of encroaching government rather than making our problems seem worse than they are. We can also be thankful that the restrictions made necessary by the pandemic will be going away in a few months as vaccines are distributed.

Finally, and this will also be controversial, I’m thankful that a peaceful transfer of power looks more and more likely. If Joe Biden had lost, I am sure that there would have been violence. I’m thankful that did not happen.

However, as I wrote before the election, I’ve long been concerned that President Trump’s allegations of election fraud could lead to violence from the right. I’m thankful that has not happened and hopeful that it won’t.

Most of all, I’m thankful that this too shall pass. Our adversity is temporary. We can look forward to a return to normalcy next year as vaccines end the pandemic and the economy surges back. Next year at Thanksgiving, masks and social distancing will be a distant memory. We just have to stay healthy until then.

Have a safe and happy Thanksgiving.

Follow David Thornton on Twitter (@captainkudzu) and Facebook

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November 26, 2020 at 08:46AM - David Thornton
Giving thanks in a pandemic year
Read the full story by clicking this headline, at The First TV

The hypocrisy of the Left is now at a point “where there’s no truth or moral standards at all,” Mike Slater argued this week. Case in point: Nancy Pelosi, Diane Feinstein, and Gavin Newsom.

Worse than hypocrisy is the fact that we have “cultural leaders” now calling the nuclear family “white supremacy” and advocating for polyamory, he explained.

“So at least back in the day you pretended to care about family values as opposed to today’s elites who have open disdain, open hostility toward the family.”

November 25, 2020 at 03:07PM - Matt Howerton
Liberal elites are worse than hypocrites | Mike Slater
Read the full story by clicking this headline, at The First TV