Carl and Angle Larsen run a small video company called Telescope Media Group in Minnesota that offers not only videography services of merely filming an event, but also taking the event and telling a story – a small movie if you will.
The Larsens are devout Christians who believe that marriage is a covenant between a man and a woman.
That, of course, put them in the cross hairs of not only some social groups, but the State of Minnesota when the Larsens refused to offer their services to same sex couples looking to get married. The State of Minnesota charged the Larsens with discrimination based on sexual orientation. The Larsens fired back with a lawsuit of their own claiming rights under the First and Fourteenth Amendment, thereby striking at the heart of the Minnesota law.
The Larsens, who own and operate Telescope Media Group, use their “unique skill[s] to identify and tell compelling stories through video,” including commercials, short films, and live-event productions. They exercise creative control over the videos they produce and make “editorial judgments” about “what events to take on, what video content to use, what audio content to use, what text to use…, the order in which to present content, [and] whether to use voiceovers.”
The Larsens “gladly work with all people — regardless of their race, sexual orientation, sex, religious beliefs, or any other classification.”
But because they “are Christians who believe that God has called them to use their talents and their company to … honor God,” the Larsens decline any requests for their services that conflict with their religious beliefs. This includes any that, in their view, “contradict biblical truth; promote sexual immorality; support the destruction of unborn children; promote racism or racial division; incite violence; degrade women; or promote any conception of marriage other than as a lifelong institution between one man and one woman.” (more…)
Originally from the Houston area, Rep. Dan Crenshaw is a proud 6th generation Texan. From an early age, Dan knew that he wanted to serve his country with the most elite fighting force in history: the U.S. Navy SEALs. His father’s career in the Texas oil and gas industry moved his family all over the world, including Ecuador and Colombia, where he attended high school. As a result, Dan is fluent in Spanish. In 2006, Dan graduated from Tufts University, where he earned his Naval officer commission through Navy ROTC. Following graduation, he immediately reported to SEAL training in Coronado, CA, where he met his future wife, Tara. After graduating SEAL training, Dan deployed to Fallujah, Iraq to join SEAL Team Three, his first of five deployments overseas.
On Dan’s third deployment in 2012, his life changed forever. After six months of combat operations, he was hit by an IED blast during a mission in Helmand province, Afghanistan. He was evacuated and awoke from his medically induced coma learning that his right eye had been destroyed in the blast and his left eye was badly damaged. Dan was completely blind and the doctors did not believe he would ever see again. Tara stood by him every day and night, keeping faith and praying he would see again. After several difficult surgeries and months of fighting a tough diagnosis, Dan eventually regained sight in his left eye, a miracle according to the head surgeon. Dan refused to quit and went on to deploy twice more, first back to the Middle East in 2014 and then South Korea in 2016.
Dan was medically retired in September of 2016 as a Lieutenant Commander after serving ten years in the SEAL Teams. He left service with two Bronze Stars (one with Valor), the Purple Heart, and the Navy Commendation Medal with Valor, among others. (emphasis ours)
We knew that Crenshaw had lost an eye in combat, but we did not realize that he served two more deployments.
It’s hard not to be impressed by that dedication and service.
A few days ago Crenshaw appeared on the Joe Rogan Show where he made an argument that is so good and so persuasive that we are almost jealous that we did not think of it before. (more…)
A beauty salon owner in Sacramento has become somewhat of a viral sensation after her rant on the homeless sleeping on the streets, attacking her, her customers, forcing her to clean up human waste, used syringes, dealing with break-ins, the destruction of her property and the police not arresting people for crimes because of the direction of California Governor Gavin Newsom.
She’s had enough and is moving out.
First her original rant:
CBS Sacramento covered the Novak’s story as well: (more…)
Yesterday, the Brevard County Board of Commissioners had on the agenda Item H-7 which is described in the agenda as:
H 7 Adoption of a Resolution Establishing User Fees for FY 2019-2020 for the Melbourne-Tillman Water Control District.
The issue deals with an increase in fees to people within the district. The amount of fee increase is rather small, but that is not why we are bringing this up.
Commissioner Tobia voted against the proposal which due to procedural reasons, killed the item.
This incensed Commissioner and Chairperson Christine Isnardi who repeatedly said the Melbourne-Tillman Water District had “slogged along for years” without an increase in fees.
She asked Tobia his reasoning for voting against it. (more…)
Taxing high earners at 100 percent of their income would pay for about one third to just over half of the extraordinarily ambitious “progressive” or socialist programs supported by democratic socialists Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.) and Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-N.Y.), a new Heritage Foundation study found. Even a full confiscation of all incomes above $200,000 and a confiscation of all corporate profits would still fall $13.2 TRILLION short of paying for the low estimate for Medicare for All and the Green New Deal.
“It is arithmetically impossible to pay for progressive promises by ‘taxing the rich,'” David Burton, Heritage’s senior fellow in economic policy, wrote in the study. “Progressive promises are too expensive—and the amount of income earned by the rich is too small. Even using lower cost estimates, confiscating every dollar earned by every taxpayer with incomes of $200,000 or more would only pay for about half of the progressive agenda.”
EDITOR’S NOTE: We are breaking with our tradition of posting information on meetings the day of that meeting because in this case, the Brevard County Board of Commissioners is meeting tomorrow, Tuesday August 20, 2019 at 9:00 AM. So while many people are returning for dropping kids off to schools, shopping in the morning, or settling in at work, by the time they would read this post, the meeting would have started and any chance to comment would be lost.
This item seeks to “update” the Board’s Procedures on how meetings are run.
In light of all of the recent controversy over comments made by people and Commissioners, as well as the stated intent of some Commissioners to limit or restrict ideas and speech, we were not surprised that this was back. (more…)
