Mediaboss Marketing

Progressives running for Congress had a good night on Tuesday. To discuss the results, the Signal spoke with Aaron Chappell, the political director for Our Revolution, a grassroots member-driven movement that emerged following Sen. Bernie Sanders 2016 run.

The group endorsed and organized on behalf of former Austin City Councilman Greg Casar, who won his contest in Austins TX-35 by a landslide, as well as state Rep. Jasmine Crockett (TX-30) and immigrant rights attorney Jessica Cisneros (TX-28), who each secured a runoff in their races.

The following interview has been edited for length and clarity.

On a federal level yall endorsed Greg Casar, Jasmine Crockett and Jessica Cisneros. What are your thoughts on this weeks primary in Texas?

Were thrilled about the results in Gregs race and about the margin in Jasmines race as well. Overall, this is about where we hoped to be.

It would have been amazing obviously to avoid a runoff in Jasmine Crocketts race, but she dominated in that race so its just another hoop to jump through. But it doesnt seem like a threat to her viability to have a runoff in that race, there were a lot of candidates in that race, its reasonable to not hit 50 percent with 9-10 candidates in the race.

Cisneros as well, we knew that was a challenging race and she appears to be making a runoff. Thats a victory in itself, an 18-year incumbent with millions of dollars backed by the fossil fuel industry.

Do you think that says anything that Cisneros race was so close? I know Cuellar said he was going to be in full campaign mode, that it would be a blowout. What does the tightness of that race mean to yall?

The fact that a real progressive like Jessica Cisneros can poll even with an 18-year incumbent that has the backing of Texas iconic oil industry, its amazing. Its a tougher district than the other two were talking about.

And so props to Jessica Cisneros and to groups like ours that have been pounding the phones and pavement to turn out voters there. Cuellar is one of the worst Democrats in the House. He is blocking the most popular parts of the Democratic agenda with his fight over the Build Back Better Act. We were particularly incensed by his call to support continued subsidies for the fossil fuel industry, which is a critical piece of mitigating climate impacts and of paying for the important measures in that bill. Hes the only Democrat in the House that voted against the Protect the Right to Organize Act that would help level the playing field and get workers the ability to exercise their right to join a union and create better jobs. Thats the kind of thing that hurts the Democratic Party as a whole.

We see in South Texas, trends going I dont want to overstate the trends but theres been a lot of reporting about trends toward the Republican Party among Latino voters in South Texas. And why not if Henry Cuellar is what they think Democrats represent?

What has Our Revolutions involvement been in these races so far and what are the plans for the future in the state?

Were a huge network of people that came out of the Bernie movement. So were very focused on turning out our own base and own contacts. Weve just been emailing, texting, calling in each of those races. We made about 40,000 dials with 50 to 100 volunteers plus sending lots of emails and texts to reach those folks that are part of Our Revolution.

I think thats a bit unique, were not coming in before a race with an ad war. Were running a ground game and were there for the long haul. We have our folks in Texas, were not just coming in every two years. We were very involved in local elections last year and then we stay around and work with candidates when they become elected officials.

What is Our Revolutions overall strategy? It sounds like a lot of ground game. Has it changed at all since 2016?

Its always been about small donors, were grassroots funded, were not getting grants or foundation money. Were getting support from our members. Several of these candidates are our members. Greg Casar is a member, Jasmine Crockett is a member. We have members running on the local level as well.

That focus hasnt changed. We believe in turning out the base and organizing. We believe that progressive issues are popular winning issues for the Democratic Party. And I think Greg is a great example of the success of that vision.

Weve seen increasing strength of the progressive movement, increasing viability of progressive candidates. We see people that were inspired by the Bernie movement coming out to run. And again, our own members running for office.

Greg is someone Ive known personally from the beginning from his days as a labor organizer to city councilman. Weve had the opportunity to build a deeper bench of candidates, Greg is a perfect example. We supported him at the city council, hes proven himself as a leader and effective elected on the city council.

Same with Jasmine Crockett, we supported her for statehouse and saw her do a tremendous job, especially last year summer in the voting rights fight. We know shed be a great member of Congress and a real outspoken progressive.

Theres been time for our movement to mature and deepen our bench of candidates and our base.

I wanted to get your thoughts on the upcoming midterms in Congress. Theres some predictions saying Dems will lose the House. What can Our Revolution and other progressive organizations do to have their elected leaders have more of a voice in the Democratic Party? I remember the Force the Vote movement on Medicare for All, and Ive seen some folks suggest that maybe progressive Democrats should operate in a more disruptive fashion, kind of like the Tea Party. Whats your thoughts on how progressives should operate as a minority in the House?

Id love to talk about this because its not what progressives have done. Nobody forced the vote, people fought with a reasonable outlook on what was achievable through the Build Back Better Act to expand access to Medicare not to force the vote on Medicare for All, because we know that we have winnable issues and we want to show that we can win on these issues.

Progressives are the ones who fought the hardest for President Bidens agenda. It was Joe Manchin and Kyrsten Sinema who blocked the agenda, the so-called moderates that arent willing.

Progressives are trying to deliver on the most popular items on the Democratic platform that would help them win in the midterms, and they were stymied. We cant save the Democratic Party if they cant pass their own agenda, but we can certainly fight to get more progressives elected for the future.

See the rest here:
Our Revolution on progressive wins in Texas primaries - The Texas Signal

Book and Bear is a monthly delivery of plush building fun paired with a picture book about the animal to get kids reading real books again

The COVID-19 pandemic has had a profound effect on humankind. To combat the pandemic, world leaders issued a global lockdown, requiring everyone to stay home. Unfortunately, this measure had detrimental effects, and one of these is a decline in reading culture among children. According to Amplify, studies show that due to all the school closures over the past two years, at least 33% of all kids ages K-3 are behind in building their reading skills.

Concerned with the decline in reading culture and skills, Book and Bear was established in 2020 as a book subscription box company that offers a monthly delivery of plush building fun paired with a picture book about the animal. Speaking about the initiative, Founder of Book and Bear, Kymberly MacAgy, had this to say, Kids who approach reading from a place of confidence are more likely to enjoy reading and continue to put in the effort it takes to become fluent readers. Book and Bears plush animal building kits are easy for kids to build all by themselves, providing that sense of confidence that makes their new picture book enticing. Plus, working through the puzzle of sounding out words is all the more fun with a new plush friend by their side.

With two years down the line, the Book and Bear company celebrated their anniversary with a rebranding. The company is also looking to assist grandparents interested in developing their grandkids reading skills and in spending quality time with their grandkids, homeschooling parents who are looking to enrich their childs reading education, and parents and other relatives who want to give a special, screen-free and educational gift.

Many grandparents want to find activities that will help them develop a closer relationship with their school-aged grandkids without having to learn how to play video games, continued Kymberly. Customers tell us that hand-building a new plush animal with their grandchild and reading the picture book or chapter book that comes in their Book and Bear box helps them build closer bonds and sweet memories together. And that is exactly why we launched Book and Bear.

Each subscription box from Book and Bear contains materials with which children can hand-build an animal and a new book about the animal to make reading fun. Parents can subscribe to the picture book box for ages 3 to 7 or the chapter book box for ages 8 and above at $42.99 per month. After the subscription is confirmed, Book and Bear company sends out boxes on the 4th of every month.

For more information, please visit https://www.bookandbear.com/.

About Kymberly MacAgy

Kymberly MacAgy is a former Elementary School Teacher, Homeschool Mom, Girl Scout Leader, Tea Party Lady, and founder of Book and Bear company. She noticed that when stuffed animals were paired with books, the response of even reluctant readers was intense interest. So she rebranded her Tea Party business to form Book and Bear, the only Kids Book Subscription Box with a plush animal friend that kids can build themselves. Book and Bear company provides everything needed to build the new plush animal with no need to sew, a picture book for ages 3-7 or a chapter book for ages 8 and above, including bonus activities to enhance a childs learning about the animal of the month.

Media ContactCompany Name: The Book and Bear CompanyContact Person: Kymberly MacAgyEmail: Send EmailPhone: 855-256-2327Country: United StatesWebsite: https://www.bookandbear.com/

See the original post here:
Introducing Book and Bear, a Subscription Box Company That Uses the Power of Plush Building to Motivate Young Kids to Read - Digital Journal

Its Mardi Gras!

The colorful celebration, also known as Fat Tuesday, is held annually on the day before the fasting season of Lent, which begins on Ash Wednesday. The celebrations are most festive in New Orleans Bourbon Street bars, restaurants and parades. Carnivals and costume parties are the center of Mardi Gras, which begins on March 1 this year. Festive get-togethers and themed events have become popular nationally in the lead up to the official date.

Mardi Gras colors are purple (representing justice), gold (power) and green (faith). Amazon has many options for decorations and accessories, from dramatic eye masks to stylish beads.

Here are some of the best decorations, apparel and accessories for Mardi Gras.

Mardi Gras Beads (144 Pieces) on Amazon. (Amazon)

Mardi Gras Beads (144 Pieces) ($32.99)

MGparty 168pcs Mardi Gras Party Favors Set ($28.99)

4Es Novelty 2 Pcs Mardi Gras Feather Boa 6 Ft / 72 Inch Long ($23.96)

4E's Novelty 2 Pcs Mardi Gras Feather Boa 6 Ft / 72 Inch Long on Amazon. (Amazon)

LED Light Up 46 Mardi Gras Bead Necklaces Party Favor ($10.99)

Rhode Island Novelty Mardi Gras Mug Shot Glass Beads 12 Necklaces ($10.95)

Jumbo Mardi Gras Chain Necklace Party Favors at Amazon. (Amazon)

Jumbo Mardi Gras Chain Necklace Party Favors (Purple/Green/Gold LED) ($12.99)

Jumbo Mardi Gras Bead Necklace - 44 Inch ($14.99)

Rhode Island Novelty Mardi Gras Shot Glass Beads 1 Dozen ($11.08)

Rhode Island Novelty Mardi Gras Shot Glass Beads 1 Dozen on Amazon. (Amazon)

Mardi Gras Masks - (Pack of 50) on Amazon. (Amazon)

Mardi Gras Masks - (Pack of 50) Bulk Carnival Masquerade Mask ($43.89)

Various Butterfly Rhinestone Metal Venetian Women Mask for Masquerade/Mardi Gras Party ($18.99)

Various Butterfly Rhinestone Metal Venetian Women Mask for Masquerade on Amazon. (Amazon)

Womens Black Lace Mask, Pack of 6 ($8.99)

Mardi Gras Sequin Feathers Mask Masquerade Womens Mask Venetian Carnival Mask ($13.95)

12 Pcs Eye Mask Mardi Gras Party Supplies Set on Amazon. (Amazon)

12 Pcs Eye Mask Mardi Gras Party Supplies Set,Including 6 Pcs Beads Necklaces+6 Pcs Mardi Gras Eye Mask ($13.42)

YU FENG Jester Bells Full Face Venetian Mask Black Jocker One Size Novelty Item ($21.99)

YU FENG Jester Bells Full Face Venetian Mask Black Jocker One Size Novelty Item on Amazon. (Amazon)

Purple Costume Mask With Stick ($14.86)

amscan Mardi Gras Party Jester Mask, 11 x 10.75, One Size, Multicolor ($15.10)

amscan Mardi Gras Party Jester Mask on Amazon. (Amazon)

Beads & Bling It's a Mardi Gras Thing Cool T-Shirt on Amazon. (Amazon)

Beads & Bling Its a Mardi Gras Thing Cool T-Shirt ($19.99)

Tipsy Elves Mens T-Shirts for Mardi Gras Outfits and Parties with Fun and Loud Designs ($17.95)

Tipsy Elves Mens T-Shirts for Mardi Gras Outfits on Amazon. (Amazon)

Funny Carnival Party Gift Idea Flamingo Mardi Gras T-Shirt ($19.99)

Disney Mickey Mouse Lets Party Mardi Gras Vintage T-Shirt ($22.99)

Cat Mardi Gras T-Shirt ($19.99)

Cat Mardi Gras T-Shirt on Amazon. (Amazon)

Mardi Gras Shawl Scarf Costume Accessories on Amazon. (Amazon)

Mardi Gras Shawl Scarf Costume Accessories Set Decorations with Mardi Gras Headband and Earrings for Women ($16.55)

Black Mardi Gras Fanny Pack w/Drink Holder - Mardi Gras Clothing Accessories ($16.95)

Tipsy Elves Classic Purple Gold and Green Leggings for Women's Mardi Gras Outfits on Amazon. (Amazon)

Tipsy Elves Classic Purple Gold and Green Leggings for Womens Mardi Gras Outfits ($19.95)

1920s Fascinator Feathers Headband for Women Kentucky Derby Wedding Tea Party Headwear Girls Flapper Headpiece ($11.99)

Mardi Gras Face Mask for Men Women Face Cover with 2pcs Filter on Amazon. (Amazon)

Mardi Gras Face Mask for Men Women Face Cover with 2pcs Filter ($10.99)

Myjoyday Fascinators for Women Derby Headband Wedding Tea Party Hats Hair Clip ($11.99)

Myjoyday Fascinators for Women Derby Headband Wedding Tea Party Hats Hair Clip on Amazon. (Amazon)

JOIEDOMI Mardi Gras Animated Inflatable Yard Decoration 4 FT Jester in The Box with Build-in LEDs Blow Up Inflatables on Amazon. (Amazon)

JOIEDOMI Mardi Gras Animated Inflatable Yard Decoration 4 FT Jester in The Box with Build-in LEDs Blow Up Inflatables for Party ($54.99)

Double Sided Mardi Gras Garden House Flag ($7.99)

Mardi Gras Pillow Covers on Amazon. (Amazoin)

Mardi Gras Pillow Covers, Set of 4 ($13.99)

GIFTEXPRESS 2 Pack 36 X 100 Mardi Gras Metallic Foil Fringe Curtain ($12.99)

Mardi Gras Banner Burlap ($10.99)

Mardi Gras Banner Burlap on Amazon. (Amazon)

Mardi Gras Garden House Flag Fabric Double Sided ($7.99)

Mardi Gras Plastic Coins ($8.59)

24 Pieces Mardi Gras Ornaments Wooden Gold Green Purple Ornaments for Tree ($12.99)

Joiedomi 6 FT Tall Jester On Ball Mardi Gras Inflatable Yard Decoration ($49.99)

Joiedomi 6 FT Tall Jester On Ball Mardi Gras Inflatable Yard Decoration on Amazon. (Amazon)

Read more:
These Mardi Gras beads, masks and decorations from Amazon will get you in the mood to party - AL.com

On more than one occasion, as a child going grocery shopping with my parents in the suburbs of Louisville, I saw a group of nuns together buying groceries at the local Krogers.

My parents, being devout Catholics, would always stop and offer greetings and otherwise show their respect. On more than one occasion I witnessed a group of redneck hecklers who would taunt the nuns about getting dates and wearing shorter skirts, or offered a variety of similar insults.

"What kind of idiot heckles a nun?" my dad would ask my mom. Mom would just shake her head.

On Tuesday night, the nation got an answer to my dad's question. As Joe Biden addressed a joint session of Congress in his first State of the Union address, Reps. Marjorie Taylor Greene and Lauren Boebert began heckling as the president spoke about his son Beau, an Army officer who served in Iraq and died of cancer in 2015.

It was a disrespectful show of stupidity and a low point in a speech that Biden used to highlight his administration's first year of accomplishments, as required by the Constitution. It was also a speech Biden used to reiterate the international resolve against Russia and Vladimir Putin for the illegal invasion of Ukraine that has horrified the world.

RELATED:Trumpers play fascist peekaboo: Are MTG and Tucker Carlson backpedaling on Putin?

Biden called it a "premeditated and unprovoked war," and vowed to defend all NATO countries with American troops, should the conflict widen. (Four member nations Poland, Slovakia, Hungary and Romania border Ukraine to the west and south.) In the meantime, Belarus, effectively a puppet state of Russia, has apparently committed troops to the war while nearly the entire rest of the world has sided with Ukraine. As the first week of this conflict ends, some pundits predict the beginning of World War III. Some, in fact, suggest it really began with cyber warfare more than two years ago, and as recently as this week, a Ukrainian journalist confronted British Prime Minister Boris Johnson by saying, "NATO is afraid of World War III, but it has already started."

In this chilling atmosphere, Biden, according to even some of his staunchest critics, including former Tea Party congressman Joe Walsh, delivered one of his best speeches. "I think he did a very good job," Walsh told me. "But not everybody got it."

Some pundits have criticized Biden for being foggy, befuddled, obtuse or obsequious in his first televised address before the nation. That criticism is more about style than substance. NBC's Chuck Todd was particularly harsh, saying, "I fear this is going to feel like a speech that didn't age well," without really explaining why.

The Wall Street Journal criticized Biden for failing to "rally the world to face new dangers after Russia invaded Ukraine."

Want a daily wrap-up of all the news and commentary Salon has to offer? Subscribe to our morning newsletter, Crash Course.

Perhaps they heard a different speech than I did. Biden tried to reach a variety of different audiences, including our allies and the world community, along with American voters, Democrats and Republicans in Congress, the pundits and his many critics.

That's why he talked about funding police departments (not "defunding" them) and the need for coherent border and immigration legislation a move that provided an opportunity for a bipartisan standing ovation.

That's also why he talked about unity and said, "Let's stop seeing each other as enemies and see each other for who we are fellow Americans."

He was bluntest in speaking of the war in Ukraine. "We are inflicting pain on Russiaand supporting the people of Ukraine," the president told the nation."Putin is now isolated from the worldmore than ever." Then he cited a list of new sanctions, including closing off American airspace to Russian commercial flights and noting that the ruble had lost 30 percent of its value.

Then Biden spelled out exactly when and where American troops would engage Russia, if that becomes necessary. "And as I've made crystal clear, the United States and our allies will defend every inch of territory that is NATO territory with the full force of our collective power every single inch."

That is no empty gesture. The world has vowed to reinforce the people of Ukraine, with military and humanitarian aid, in their fight against Russia. While airlifts are part of that supply effort, the straight supply link to Ukraine runs through Poland, a NATO and EU nation directly to the west. Putin is as aware of that as anyone else. If shots are fired in Poland, which seems an increasing possibility, then the U.S. will be in a ground war with Russia.

RELATED:Lt. Col. Alex Vindman: How Trump's coup attempt encouraged Putin's Ukraine invasion

Make no mistake: This is the largest war in Europe since the end of World War II. Biden has surprised Russia by solidifying opposition to Putin's chosen war which the Russian leader likely believed he could win within a few days and apparently surprised the pundits as well, since to this point he's been highly effective in rallying America's allies to the cause.

When Putin threatened an escalation of the possibility of a nuclear war, Biden didn't take the bait. Jen Psaki, in one of her better performances in the White House briefing room, put down the combative rhetoric as swiftly as she has eviscerated Fox News reporters, for the moment allowing us all to take a breath.

Biden spoke to that as well on Tuesday night. The situation is as troubling as any in my lifetime, but despite the rising global tensions, the president sought to calm the world. "I want you to know that we are going to be OK," he said. "When the history of this era is written, Putin's war on Ukraine will have left Russia weaker and the rest of the world stronger."

As reassuring as Biden strived to be, and as blunt as he has been about Russian intentions for the last month, the fog of war is upon us. It will become increasingly difficult not to get sucked into it. Some are predicting a long-term struggle in Ukraine, similar to the U.S. involvement in Afghanistan, that could go on for years or decades.

Taking that possibility into consideration, when Biden said, "From President Zelensky to every Ukrainian; their fearlessness, their courage, their determination inspires the world," those words take on a more nuanced meaning.

The president dramatically spelled out exactly where we are in history, and the criticisms levied against him make little sense. So many reporters increasingly seem out of touch and misinformed.

To paraphrase former Trump press secretary Sean Spicer, what did you want: Unicorns and rainbows?

Biden is grappling with serious issues, and our media are awash in pontificating, pompous peacocks of pallor, cackling like hens and more interested in the sound of their own voices than the gravity of the matters at hand.

Some in the press have said that Biden has lost the support of a majority of Americans, and they may be correct. Again, that remains the greatest problem with this administration. Biden has been, as he was Tuesday, very good at speaking to the public, when he chooses to do so. He doesn't do that nearly enough, and his surrogates, for the most part, are horrible at it. They become immersed in playing games with the networks while also being roasted by them or having their actions misinterpreted, because too many network reporters and anchors lack the experience to understand nuance in politics, even though they cover it.

But therein lies the bigger problem. No matter how much the Biden administration talks or doesn't talk, many of us in the press just don't get it. Donald Trump didn't care what we thought, and blasted out his venom with the ease of a meth-addled preacher on steroids calling the entire media the "enemy of the people" while also relying on it to spread his larcenous lies.

Today the stakes have never been higher and the potential outcome never more severe and, unfortunately, we don't get it.

Biden told us that we stand on the precipice. He told us in that calming, mellifluous voice that everything would be OK. I only hope he's right.

That was the point of that part of his speech, anyway. That was the issue and the moment that mattered. The focus of the United States is on containing the naked aggression of a Russian madman who is so intent on a power grab that even normally neutral Switzerland jumped in and said "No."

Ultimately, history will decide whether the strangulation tactics the world has employed are enough to choke the energy out of the Russian war machine, whether the sanctions will force an internal change that leads to new leadership in Russia, or whether Putin drags the world into a fiery hole from which we never emerge.

That was the subtext many didn't see on Tuesday night as they spoke out against the puerile and salacious antics of Boebert and Greene. It was the theme unseen by the pundits. It was the point missed publicly, and privately feared by many politicians.

And ultimately, that is the point the American people must understand for themselves.

Biden, with his experience on the international stage, understands far more than others what is at stake. Whether he communicated it effectively is the question. Where the world is at the end of this calendar year may render a judgment on how well he delivered his urgent message during his first State of the Union Address.

Read more on Ukraine, Putin, Biden and the war:

Read more:
Biden sounds the warning, and the fog of war descends: How bad will it get? - Salon

Gary North, a leading Christian Reconstructionist who argued for the biblical basis of free market economics and urged people to prepare for societal collapse, has died at 80.

North was a prolific writer, simultaneously penning a 31-volume Bible commentary on Austrian economics; turning out regular warnings about financial catastrophe; and firing off a seemingly endless stream of columns on the gold standard, government overreach, Gods covenants, and the greatness of libertarian Ron Paul.

He was perhaps most mainstream when he supported Pauls longshot presidential bid in 2012. He boosted the candidate throughout the Republican Party primaries, alternately explaining monetary policy to newly converted libertarians and hyping the chances that the Texas politician could actually win the White House.

He was most well-known, though, for his warnings about Y2K. North was convinced that a computer programing shortcutcoding years with two digits instead of fourwas going to lead to catastrophic crashes when the year 99 became the year 00 and the worlds digital infrastructure reset itself. He eagerlyeven gleefullyheralded the collapse of civilization and coached Christians on how to stockpile food, gold, and guns.

For his part, North thought his most important work and true calling was explaining how the alternative economic theories of Ludwig von Mises and Murray Rothbard (both nonpracticing Jews) were deeply biblical. Free market economics should be grounded, he believed, in the Bibles account of Gods covenants, the scarcity that follows the Fall, and the divine mandate in Genesis 1:28 that people should take dominion over the earth (KJV).

North conceived his magnum opus as a Christian version of Adam Smiths The Wealth of Nations but acknowledged it would probably never have the influence or the readership that he wanted. Really, he said, he was writing for a very small group of people.

Who are the likely readers? A remnant, he wrote. I mean those Christians who are convinced that there are serious problems with the modern economies of the world. I also mean those who are convinced that there are biblical alternatives to the collapsing secular humanism of our era. I write for those who are convinced that there had better be a distinctly Christian economics, and not baptized Marxism, baptized Keynesianism, or baptized Friedmanism, let alone the unbaptized varieties.

When North died in hospice care in Dallas, Georgia, on February 24, his books were available for free online.

North was born on February 11, 1942, in Horn Lake, Mississippi, to Peggy and Samuel W. North Jr. The family relocated to Southern California in Garys childhood, so his father could surveil the Socialist Workers Party for the FBI.

It was a deeply conservative home, committed to anti-Communism, but North nevertheless experienced a political awakening at 14 when he heard a lecture by Australian Fred Schwarz, head of the Christian Anti-Communism Crusade, about beating global Communism, the unbeatable foe. Soon the teenager was not only opposed to Marx and Lenin, but also Franklin Roosevelt, the New Deal, and Social Security.

North became a regular at the Betsy Ross Book Shop, a critical hub of Southern California conservatism, and a faithful reader of The Freeman, the libertarian magazine produced by the Foundation for Economic Education (FEE), the first free market think tank in the United States.

At 17, he became a Christian and became fascinated by the idea of connecting libertarian economics with his faith. Several people claimed to be doing this at the time, but in Norths estimation, they fell short. A Dutch Calvinist businessman was republishing the work of Austrian economist Eugen von Bhm-Bawerk and calling it Progressive Calvinism, but it wasnt notably more religious than the work of other Austrian theorists. J. Howard Pew, the Presbyterian oil magnate and Christianity Today financier, was publishing a twice-monthly journal called Christian Economics, but it didnt seem to be particularly Christian.

The authors were first-rate free market economists, and many of them were Austrian school economists, North later recalled. But there was no attempt by the authors to integrate what they were writing on economics with the Bible.

By the time he was 18, North was personally committed to this project. He decided he would do what others hadnt and show how the whole counsel of God supported capitalism.

The most significant moment in Norths development came in 1962, when he met R. J. Rushdoony, a Presbyterian pastor who developed a theology he called Christian Reconstructionism. Rushdoony said that everyoneand in fact everything and every intellectual discipline that started from objective, observable factswas in rebellion against God and needed to be brought under Gods authority. He argued a truly Christian society would be a theonomy, under divine law.

North embraced Christian Reconstructionism to the point that he would, over the years, make the argument that a truly Christian country would reinstitute the practice of public stoning.

That modern Christians never consider the possibility of the re-introduction of stoning for capital crimes indicates how thoroughly humanistic concepts of punishment have influenced the thinking of Christians, he would write. Christians have voluntarily transferred their allegiance from the infallible Old Testament to contemporary God-hating and God-denying criminologists and economists.

North spent one summer working with Rushdoony at a libertarian think tank and kept in touch.

After he graduated with a PhD in history from the University of California, Riverside, he went to work for FEE, directing seminars at the Irvington, New York, think tank, and writing articles for The Freeman. He wrote about gold, inflation, financial depressions, and the theology at work in economic theories (Men have a tendency to get their religious presuppositions confused with economic analysis, he said).

In 1972, North married Sharon Rushdoony, R. J.s daughter. The next year he quit FEE, partly in a dispute over rights to his writing and public lectures, and went to work for his new father-in-law. He edited the new journal of Christian Reconstructionism, the Chalcedon Report, assisted with the research for Rushdoonys Institutes of Biblical Law, and published his first book, a collection of articles titled An Introduction to Christian Economics.

Is there such a thing as a distinctively Christian economics? North asked in the introduction. His answer was Yes. The first chapter looked Old Testament prophets condemnations of dross and drew out implications for monetary policy.

In 1976, North took a brief break from the world of think tanks to go work for Ron Paul in Washington, DC. The Texas obstetrician won a special election and went to the capital promising to fight the Federal Reserve and return the US to the gold standard. He needed staff, and hired North to write twice-monthly newsletters to his constituents.

The job only lasted until Paul lost reelection in November. North was considered for a position in Congressman Dan Quayles office but didnt get it, and decided he wanted nothing more to do with government work.

Seldom in the history of man have so many incompetents, cronies, idiots, goof-offs, hangers-on, and nincompoops been assembled in one geographical area, he wrote. These people are yo-yos. You would not believe how second-rate these people are. I am speaking about the conservative staffers.

Leaving Congress, North moved to Durham, North Carolina, where he could access an academic library. He started working in earnest on his economics Bible commentary.

To fund the work, he founded the Institute for Christian Economics. He sold self-published books by direct mail for $10 and then got book-buyers to subscribe to his newsletter, Remnant Review, for $45 per year. He grew the subscriber base from 2,000 to more than 22,000, grossing $1.2 million in 1979. What North didnt use for his Bible commentary he poured into building up Christian Reconstructionism.

In the early 1980s, North moved to Tyler, Texas, be closer to other Christian Reconstructionists. At the same time, North had a bitter falling out with Rushdoony. The disagreement started with an article about the lambs blood on the doorposts in the Passover story in Exodus.

The esoteric debate quickly escalated. North told his father-in-law he was going to be replaced by younger, more vigorous men. Rushdoony replied, Your letter is written with your usual grace and courtesy.

The Texas Reconstructionists were also increasingly fixated on impending catastrophes, becoming preppers and survivalists. North wrote that the AIDS epidemic would lead to civilizational collapse, predicted numerous recessions and depressions caused by inflation or government debt, and frequently urged people to buy gold and silver before it was too late.

The peak of his apocalyptic fervor came in the late 1990s. North became convinced that a computer programing shortcut would end modern life as we know it, resulting in a nightmare for every area of life, in every region of the industrialized world.

To North, it was clear this was divine punishment for a world that had strayed from God. He called it a good, old-fashioned Deuteronomy kind of thing and launched a website with advice on postapocalyptic bartering, gardening, food storage, generators, where to move to best avoid murderous hoards, and of course, why you should buy gold.

When the predicted day of doom came and went, North noted that he had been incorrect, but said Y2Ks effects, so far, have taken all of the specialists by surprise. He believed, regardless, that gold was a good investment and people were better off, prepared for disaster in out-of-the-way parts of the world.

North moved on from predicting disasters and turned to more mainstream commentary in the next decade, when he became a regular columnist for the libertarian and anarcho-capitalist website LewRockwell.com.

He advocated for the Tea Party movement and the gold standard while attacking social security, fiat money, leftist evangelical Jim Wallis, and Franklin Roosevelt. He occasionally defended conspiracy theories, speculated about a conspiracy behind the terrorist attacks of 2001, and when his old boss Ron Paul started gaining momentum, he wrote about Paul.

As the libertarian candidates quest for the Republican nomination fizzled, North finally finished the 8,511-page book he had first dreamed of in 1960 and had started writing in 1973: An Economic Commentary on the Bible.

No one has ever attempted a Bible commentary like this: what the Bible has to say about the details of an academic discipline, North wrote. The culmination of my lifes work is here.

North posted the final, revised, and typeset PDF of the commentary online on January 29, 2021. He died a little more than a year later.

He was predeceased by his son Caleb and survived by his wife, Sharon, and their children Darcy North, Scott North, and Lori McDurmon.

See the original post:
Died: Gary North, Who Saw Austrian Economics in the Bible and Disaster on the Horizon... | News & Reporting - ChristianityToday.com