It’s Monday, October 19th, A.D. 2020. This is The Worldview in 5 Minutes heard at www.TheWorldview.com. I’m Adam McManus.
By Adam McManus (Adam@TheWorldview.com)
Why was Pakistan Elected to UN’s Premier Human Rights Body?
On October 13, Pakistan was elected by the United Nations General Assembly to the 47-member UN Human Rights Council, reports the International Christian Concern. This election has drawn criticism from human rights groups who have pointed out Pakistan’s poor record on protecting the rights of the country’s religious minorities.
Pakistan’s election to the UN Human Rights Council means it will serve on the United Nations’ premier body for protecting human rights worldwide. The council proposes resolutions and oversees investigations into human rights violations, including religious freedom violations.
According to the U.S. Commission on International Religious Freedom, Pakistan is among the world’s worst violators of religious freedom and has been designated a Country of Particular Concern.
In the Muslim-majority nation of Pakistan, Christians face high levels of persecution including false accusations of blasphemy, abductions, forced conversions, and forced marriages.
Pakistani Christians echo the prayers of King David found in Psalm 31:15. “My times are in Your hands; deliver me from the hands of my enemies, from those who pursue me.”
Judge Amy Barrett remained calm and collected
During last week’s contentious Senate Judiciary Committee hearing on President Trump’s Supreme Court nomination of Judge Amy Coney Barrett, the Democrats tried their level best to trip her up.
Democratic Senator Corey Booker of New Jersey addressed the Trump administration’s policy on illegal immigration.
BOOKER: “Do you think it’s wrong to separate children from their parents to deter [illegal] immigrants from coming to the United States?”
BARRETT: “Well, Senator Booker, that’s been a matter of policy debate. And, you know, obviously, that’s a matter of hot political debate in which I can’t express a view or be drawn into as a judge.”
BOOKER: “So, I, I respect that a lot. But I think the underlying question is actually not hotly debated. Do you think it’s wrong to separate a child from their parent, not for the safety of the child or parent, but to send a message? As a human being, do you believe that that’s wrong?”
BARRETT: “Well, Senator, I think you’re trying to engage me on the administration’s border separation policies and I can’t express a view on that. So, not expressing assent or dissent with the morality of that position, I just can’t be drawn into a debate about the administration’s immigration policy.”
Then, Democratic Senator Kamala Harris of California, Biden’s Vice Presidential pick, asked Judge Barrett about climate change.
HARRIS: “Do you accept that smoking causes cancer?”
BARRETT: “I’m not sure exactly where you’re going with this. Yes, every package of cigarettes warns that smoking causes cancer.”
HARRIS: “And do you believe that climate change is happening and it’s threatening the air we breathe and the water we drink?”
BARRETT: “Senator, again, I was wondering where you were going with that. You have asked me a series of questions that are completely uncontroversial, like whether COVID-19 is infectious, whether smoking causes cancer and then trying to analogize that to eliciting an opinion from me that is on a very contentious matter of public debate. And I will not do that. I will not express a view on a matter of public policy, especially one that is politically controversial, because that’s inconsistent with the judicial role as I have explained.”
HARRIS: “Thank you. Thank you Judge Barrett. And you’ve made your point clear that you believe it’s a debatable point.”
Republican Senator Lindsey Graham of South Carolina, the chairman of the Senate Judiciary Committee, made two memorable comments. First, he said this.
GRAHAM: “This hearing to me is an opportunity to not punch through a glass ceiling, but a reinforced concrete barrier around conservative women. You’re going to shatter that barrier.”
And then he referenced his hope that the voters were paying attention.
GRAHAM: “I think the public will go into the voting booth and they’ll say, ‘Okay, I’ve seen the kind of judges Democrats will nominate. I’ve seen the kind of judges Republicans will nominate.’ That will be important to people.”
And Republican Senator Ted Cruz of Texas drew this conclusion.
CRUZ: “I recognize that our Democratic friends wish a different president had been elected in 2016. I’m sympathetic to those arguments. I recognize that our Democratic friends wish there was a Democratic majority in the Senate, but the voters decided otherwise. And so, this committee moving forward is consistent with over 200 years of history and precedent.”
Urge your two Senators to confirm Judge Amy Barrett by calling 202-224-3121.
Biden’s campaign manager: “Donald Trump can still win this race”
Joe Biden’s campaign warned in an internal memo on Saturday that the race between President Donald Trump and Biden is much closer than election polling suggests, reports the Blaze.com.
According to RealClearPolitics, national polling shows that Biden has a commanding lead over Trump. Currently, Biden’s average national lead over Trump stands at 9%, while his lead in top battleground states is half that at 4.5%.
According to the Washington Post, Biden’s campaign manager Jen Dillon said on Saturday in a letter to supporters, “We cannot become complacent because the very searing truth is that Donald Trump can still win this race, and every indication we have shows that this thing is going to come down to the wire.”
The Biden campaign manager concluded by saying, “We are not ahead by double digits. Those are inflated national public polling numbers.”
Trump: “I’m saving the suburbs.”
And finally, on Friday, President Donald Trump spoke at an event focused on America’s seniors in Fort Myers, Florida, reports RealClearPolitics.com. He addressed why a Biden-Harris administration is a threat to seniors and suburban women.
TRUMP: “Their anti-police agenda will empower violent mobs and put every community at risk. Their anti-suburban agenda threatens the property values of millions of American seniors and your families who own homes in residential neighborhoods in the suburbs. I’m saving the suburbs.
“You know, people were saying, ‘Well, women in the suburbs. Do they like Trump?’ I said, ‘Yeah, they like me.’ You know why they like me? Because I’m saving their homes. That’s why they like me. They may not like me, but they like what I’m doing. And that’s more important.”
Close
And that’s The Worldview in 5 Minutes on this Monday, October 19th, in the year of our Lord 2020, which happens to be the 11th birthday of Honor, my oldest child. Subscribe by iTunes or email to our unique Christian newscast at www.TheWorldview.com. Or get the Generations app through Google Play or The App Store. I’m Adam McManus (adam@TheWorldview.com). Now, here’s Honor with the big close. Seize the day for Jesus Christ.
Print story
Ceasefire between Armenia and Azerbaijan unraveling
A ceasefire agreed by Armenia and Azerbaijan a week ago appears to be unravelling over the disputed enclave of Nagorno-Karabakh, reports the BBC. Nagorno-Karabakh is internationally recognized as part of Azerbaijan, but it’s controlled by ethnic Armenians.
Armenia’s prime minister has spoken of troops retreating in the face of heavy fighting. Meanwhile, Azerbaijan says it has destroyed missile sites inside Armenia itself, and its president has said military operations are continuing.
Some say Azerbaijan’s closest ally, Turkey, is guilty of fueling the war and encouraging the violence. To counter that, many in Nagorno-Karabakh want Russia to side openly with Armenia and provide military support.
Matthew 5:9 says, “Blessed are the peacemakers, for they shall be called sons of God.”