Thankfulness is not in vogue anymore. In fact, I wonder what would happen if Jesus tried to feed 5000 today. If he did, here’s what some of them would probably say….

….I can’t eat that fish.

I’m vegan!

…..Is that bread gluten free?

….Has the fish been tested for mercury?

….has the fish made any racist remarks in the past 100 years?

And now for some of the more interesting stories of the week….

NEWS OF THE WEIRD

Bright Idea — As leaders worldwide search for ways to encourage people to stay home during the coronavirus pandemic, officials in Indonesia are taking advantage of its citizens’ superstitions. Reuters reported that a village on Java island is employing village residents to dress as “pocong,” or the trapped souls of the dead, in Indonesian folklore. The ghostly figures, wrapped in white shrouds with their heads covered and dark-rimmed eyes peering out, surprise unsuspecting pedestrians, then disappear into the night. The strategy appears to be working: Villagers have been seen running off in fright when the pocong appear. “People will not gather or stay on the streets after evening prayers,” resident Karno Supadmo said. ... Many hospital workers are self-isolating to keep their families safe from kCOVID-19 exposure, but Coropus Christi, Texas, emergency room doctor Jason Barnes, 39, is taking a novel approach: He’s moved into his kids’ treehouse in his backyard. Barnes told the Caller Times that hes lived in the treehouse for about three weeks. If he needs something, he’ll shout down to the kids or call the house. “The Wi-Fi reaches the treehouse, so I have my laptop and my own little command center here,” Barnes said. He uses a camping toilet with disposable bags, and he either showers at the hospital or “my oldest son will rig up a water hose. Luckily, my fence is pretty tall.” As for when he can re-enter the house, Barnes said, “We’re always looking at the CEDC and Gov. Greg Abbott’s decision, but the final determinator is the wife.” ... Officials in Lund, Sweden were concerned about people spreading coronavirus in the town’s central park as they gathered for Walpurgis Night on central park as they gathered for Walpurgis Night on April 30, a traditional celebration welcoming longer, warmer days that includes picnics and bonfires. So, to discourage revelers, the town spread chicken manure all over the park. “This is a park where usually 30,000 people gather, but with the COVID-19, this is now unthinkable,” Mayor Philip Sandbert told Reuters. “We don’t want Lund to become an epicenter for the spread of the disease. Even a small number of people still going to the park can become a big risk.”

Names in the News — A baby born recently in Sheopur, Bhopal, India, will carry a special name with him through his life: Lockdown Manju Mail, his mother, confirmed to hospital staff: “Yes, he is Lockdown, as he was born during the lockdown period.” Her husband, Raghunath, told The Times of India: “It is a significant name. The whole world using lockdown as a means to stem this pandemic. We should not take Lockdown lightly.”

Desperate Times — In Logrono, Spain, an unidentified man pushed the envelope on Spain’s stringent lockdown rules, which make an exception for pet owners, who are allowed to go outside briefly with their pets, according to Gray News. The National Police tweeted a photo of the man being arrested for sitting on a city bench holding his pet fish in a fish bowl.

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During this time of political and cultural upheaval, parents need to be spending more time raising patriots. Many parents are now considering homeschooling, including Rachel Campos-Duffy who recently wrote the following….

6 Ways to Raise a Patriot

What’s the most patriotic thing you can do right now? Raise a patriot!

One silver lining of recent political and cultural upheaval is that parents are finally waking up to the indoctrination of their children. I’ve always known my kids’ schools were liberal, but it wasn’t until COVID-19 homeschooling began that I discovered my son’s high school curriculum included Chinese communist propaganda videos.

I sat at my kitchen counter with my jaw open as we watched an assigned video justifying and promoting the Chinese Communist Party’s inhumane population control policies with zero counterpoint materials or critical thinking required. When my son offered an opposing point of view on Google Classroom for his fellow students to consider, his teacher removed the comment.

When that’s happening in small town Wausau, Wisconsin, why should we be surprised by how easily Black Lives Matter (BLM) hijacked the public’s righteous anger over George Floyd’s murder, becoming the most powerful and potent force in American politics overnight? For decades, Marxist organizations, including BLM, have been tilling the soil while parents slept.

Watching statues of George Washington topple and hearing talk of blowing up Mount Rushmore, parents rightfully wonder if it’s too late to turn the tide on all the victimhood interpretations of American history our children have been silently absorbing like carbon monoxide. I’m truly an eternal optimist about renewing and restoring America’s welldeserved national pride, but I implore you not to lose hope either.

1. Consciously use your influence

You are your child’s first and most important teacher. You can have more influence over your child than any celebrity, rock-star-status congresswoman, or social media influencer. If you talk about politics, history, and your love of country, your kids are listening and absorbing, and they trust you more than people they’ve never met.

2. Tell your child over and over again that he is not a victim

This is especially important if you are a minority. Our culture and an entire racial grievance cottage industry depends on your child thinking they are not self-sufficient or capable of personal responsibility.

3. Know and tell and retell your family’s American Dream story

Every American family has one! Mine was captured in a video five years ago, but even before that, my kids always heard stories about their grandfather being a shoeshine boy at the age of 9, starting a piñata business by age 12, and going to night school to earn his degree while raising a family. We tell them all the time that this kind of extraordinary upward mobility only happens in America and that we are blessed to be Americans.

One of the most effective tools of the anti-American left is to make us believe that the American Dream, no matter how hard you work, is rigged or dead. Why? Because if it is, then we need them. When your child knows your family’s American Dream story, they won’t fall for the lies that everyone from AOC to First Lady Michelle Obama tell about America being racist or systemically rigged against minorities. It’s not true!

4. Start young

The dirty little secret is that indoctrination doesn’t start in college. Even baby board books are full of victimology, anti-American messages, and storylines that denigrate competition and freemarket capitalism.

Our culture’s obsession with “diversity” has dangerously diminished the number of books and stories our children hear about all the beautiful things we have in common as Americans — our history, our love of freedom, and our pursuit of the American Dream. It’s why I wrote my first children’s book, “Paloma Wants to Be Lady Freedom.”

Books are formative. From board books to young-adult literature, make sure your kids are reading about all the good America has done and continues to do. America is exceptional, and its flaws and historical sins do not diminish that fact.

5. Understand that radical liberals have taken over your child’s education system

While we were sleeping, the left took over teaching colleges, filling boards that approve textbooks, and are providing “free” supplemental curriculum and training to teachers through groups like the 25,000-member-strong American Educational Research Association. AERA hired Bill Ayers, a radical, unrepentant domestic terrorist who publicly stated his goal is to dismantle capitalism, as its vice president of curriculum studies. That means you need to check your child’s textbooks and supplemental curriculum.

Much of the ideologically driven interpretations of American history in our schools can be traced to one book: “The People’s History of the United States,” written by an avowed Marxist named Howard Zinn. Long considered fringe material, it is now mainstream and being introduced to younger and younger audiences.

Some teachers, like this one who posted a TikTok video bragging about it, only teach from Zinn’s book, which views every event in America history exclusively through the prism of oppression, class, and race struggles. In Zinn’s world, America is not exceptional, our founders were villains, their motives were never noble, and their contributions to liberty were always overstated.

6. Show, don’t tell

Actions really do speak louder than words. Fly a flag in front of your house and behind your boat. Teach your kids to respect the proper way to dispose of a tattered American flag. Online videos demonstrate how to make a little ceremony of it at home. Your kids and grandkids will remember these moments forever.

Teach them to thank our military and law enforcement for their service and to stand and take their hat off for our national anthem. Lead by example. Our country, and yes, our kids, are craving a time when these things were part of our cultural fabric, which explains why this video of a World War II veteran quietly saluting the flag on his morning walk went viral.

This Independence Day find time to tell your kids the story of our inspirational revolution and daring independence from England. Fly your American flag proudly, and let the kids see you cry when you hear the “The Star-Spangled Banner” play during fireworks.

In 1776, our nation’s future depended on young reinforcements. The same is true today. What’s the most patriotic thing you can do right now? Raise a patriot!