Relatable with Allie Beth Stuckey - Ep 545 | A Call to Courage in an Age of Liars, Cowards & Fools

Episode Date: January 10, 2022

We're back for the first time this year, and there's so much to talk about. We start off with some encouragement for Christians to be fearless and make the most of this year. Then we discuss the disastrous ways liberal COVID policies are affecting the most vulnerable, marginalized group in America: children. For example, putting a kid in the trunk of a car to reduce the chance of exposure or forcing schoolkids to eat their lunches in the freezing cold because the adults are terrified of the pandemic. We also discuss alleged legal expert Justice Sonia Sotomayor's wildly inaccurate claim about how many kids are suffering from COVID. --- Today's Sponsors: GuitarSuccess4U is a unique, online, monthly membership that has community, a clear path to success & it's super affordable. Only $29/month, go to GuitarSuccess4U.com to start your guitar journey! My Patriot Supply is America's largest preparedness company, & they've served millions of families. Go to PreparewithAllie.com & save $50 off each 4-week kit! Good Ranchers is giving away 40 free chicken breasts to every order that uses the code 'ALLIE'. That's a $150 value for free! Kick the year off right with a box of 100% American, 110% delicious, chicken, beef, & seafood. Go to GoodRanchers.com/ALLIE to start 2022 on the best note possible. --- Show Links: McLean Bible Church: "How Do I Love My Transgender Neighbor?" https://bit.ly/3f5p7i1 New York Magazine's Intelligencer: "The Science of Masking Kids at School Remains Uncertain" https://nym.ag/3GhzHy8 The Atlantic: "The CDC's Flawed Case for Wearing Masks in School" https://bit.ly/3teMIoD UK's Department of Education: "Evidence Summary: Coronavirus (COVID-19) and the Use of Face Coverings in Education Settings" (January 2022) https://bit.ly/3FeMlwL MyNorthwest.com: "Kirkland Mom Says Making Kids Eat Lunch Outside in Cold, Wet Weather is 'Child Abuse'" https://bit.ly/3r47LaJ The New York Times: "Our Children Are Suffering. We Must Help Them." https://nyti.ms/33mS6ej American Academy of Pediatrics: "AAP-AACAP-CHA Declaration of National Emergency in Child and Adolescent Mental Health" https://bit.ly/3r6jW72 Politifact: "Fact-Checking Sotomayor on Kids with Severe COVID-19" https://bit.ly/3r6CN1z --- Previous Podcasts Mentioned: Ep 544: Why American COVID Policy Has Failed Us & How to Fix It | Guest: Dr. Bret Weinstein https://apple.co/3HQAuXd Ep 335: Understand the Biblical Telos of Gender https://apple.co/3neCwIR Ep 538: Conversion Therapy & Canada's Assault on Christianity | Guest: Dr. Joseph Boot https://apple.co/3r1Tsn7 --- Buy Allie's book, You're Not Enough (& That's Okay): Escaping the Toxic Culture of Self-Love: https://alliebethstuckey.com/book Relatable merchandise: https://shop.blazemedia.com/collections/allie-stuckey

Hey, this is Steve Day. If you're listening to Allie, you already understand that the biggest issues facing our country aren't just political. They're moral, spiritual, and rooted in what we believe is true about God, humanity, and reality itself. On the Steve Day show, we take the news of the day and tested against first principles, faith, truth, and objective reality. We don't just chase narratives and we don't offer false comfort.

We ask the hard questions and follow the answers wherever they leave, even when it's unpopular. This is a show for people who want honesty over hype and clarity over chaos. If you're looking for commentary grounded in conviction and unwilling to lie to you about where we are or where we're headed, you can watch this D-Day show right here on Blaze TV or listen wherever you get podcasts. I hope you'll join us. Hey guys, welcome to Relatable. Happy 20-22. This show today is sponsored by our friends at Good Ranchers. We get all of our meat from Good Ranchers better than organic chicken, craft beef.

We love them. We're thankful that they are sponsoring this show. So, okay, we are back. We've got a lot to talk about this week. We're going to talk about the SCOTUS vaccine mandate hearing from Friday at least a little bit. That may be decided today. I am recording this on Monday morning, January 10th. By the time this comes out, usually around 3 p.m. Eastern time, it may already be decided.

So if you're listening to this after the decision was made and you're wondering, well, why didn't Allie talk about this decision? It's because as I'm recording this, the decision does not come out. That is one drawback to not having a live show, even though there are a lot of pros to it. I'm unfortunately not able to give you the most up to date to the second information when it comes to things like that. But of course, we will be talking about it tomorrow as soon as we know the decision. We will start preparing that episode. We're going to talk about today how children are handling all of this madness because there have been new claims and new data that has

come out some new articles that I think are pertinent to this particular issue. Sometime this week we will also discuss probably the insane analysis of January 6th of the impending threat of Christian nationalism. I've got a lot to say about that. If you follow me on Instagram, you know a little bit of what I'm going to say, but there's more. There's more that I need to say. We'll probably talk about the UPenn swimmer.

We talked about a few weeks ago, a man who identifies as a woman named Leah Thomas, who just lost to another transgender swimming in a swim meet. It's very confusing. We'll break all of that down. I also really want to get into the big voting bill. The Democrats are going to push through since the build back better bill did not happen. What that all means? Why it matters to us.

Now, of course, all of these things are dependent upon what happens this week. So as always, we'll roll with the punches. And as always, please tell me what you guys want to hear about whenever we as a collective, relatable family. We want to take a step back and just say, you know what? There's a little bit too much talk about the news. There's too much going on. We just need to take a step back and talk about something that's evergreen.

We need to just focus on a theological subject. Then we can do that. And today we are going to talk a little bit. Well, it's definitely evergreen, but we're going to take a little bit of a step back and just kind of get our bearings and remind us of what is most important as Christians. but if you just need a week where we do that, if you need a whole episode where we do that, where we don't focus on the news at all, we can do that.

Of course, we do try to analyze as much as we can, everything that's going on in news and culture because these things matter. As we often say, these things affect people and as human beings, as Christians especially, we care about people. Also, I just want to say one thing. I hope you guys enjoyed the episodes that we put out while we were gone. We had two awesome interviews with Victor Davis Hansen and Brett Weinstein. Those are two just brilliant guests that brought a lot of insight.

And several of you messaged me saying that the Brett Weinstein episode was glitchy. And I thought that maybe it was just a thing that happened to a couple of you because that's actually happened to me where I've been listening to a podcast and it sounded glitchy. But really, it was just something on my end. So that's what I thought it was. And I gaslit some of you when you messaged me about it. I said, no, I just, I think it's on your end. But then I listened to it myself. And it was very glitchy.

That really should not happen on a professional podcast. So I'm sorry for that. It's embarrassing for me when stuff like that happens because it's my name on the podcast. So I just want you to know, even though I accidentally gaslit some of you, I take that seriously. I'm grateful for you for understanding it's fixed now. Hopefully that won't happen again. Okay, 2022, Lord willing, this is going to be Relatable's best year yet. And here is what I mean by best year yet.

This is where we kind of take a step back and get our bearings. This is going to be, we are going to be, we are going to be. we are going to be, by God's grace, the most clear and the most courageous that we've ever been. And those are two things that I want to bring, of course, by God's grace again into my life, but also into your life. I want to bring clarity and I want to bring courage. Why? Because our current age is characterized by confusion and cowardice, even, it seems, among those who profess Christianity. Christians have this amazing privilege that we should access. We have this amazing privilege to be intimately acquainted with the source of courage and clarity.

Over and over again, we see in Scripture, we see God tell His people, do not fear, do not be afraid, do not worry, do not be anxious about anything. Look to me, trust me, follow me. So the Christian does not fear. And there are six things specifically, actually seven things that Christians should not fear. seven of many things, but this is when I was preparing for this. These are the seven that I came up with that I see in scripture. The Christian does not fear bad news. Psalm 112.7 describes the Christian, the one who follows Christ. He is not afraid of bad news. His heart is firm, trusting in the Lord. Number two, she does not fear man. Proverbs 29, 25. The fear of man lays a snare, but whoever

trusts in the Lord is safe. Three, she does not fear rejection or criticism. Galatians 1.10. For am I now seeking the approval of man or of God? Or am I trying to please man? If I were trying to still please man, I would not be a servant of Christ. Number four, she does not fear persecution. 1 Timothy 312. Indeed, all who desire to live a godly life in Christ Jesus will be persecuted. And Romans 8 35 through 38. Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? Shall tribulation or distress or or persecution or famine or nakedness or danger or sword, as it is written, for your sake, we are being killed all the day long. We are regarded as sheep to be slaughtered. No, in all these things,

we are more than conquerors through him who loved us. Number five, she does not fear poverty. Matthew 12, 27 through 31. Consider the lilies, Jesus says. How they grow. They neither toil nor spin. Yet I tell you, even Solomon in all his glory was not arrayed like one of these. But if God so clothes the grass, which is alive in the field today and tomorrow was thrown into the oven. How much more will he clothe you, oh, you of little faith? And do not seek what you are to eat and what you are to drink, nor be worried. For all the nations of the world seek after these things, and your father knows that you need them. Instead, seek his kingdom, and these things will be added to you.

Number six, she does not fear any trial. James 1.2. Count in all joy, my brothers, when you meet trials of various kinds, for you know that the testing of your faith produces steadfastness. And then number seven, she does not fear death. Matthew 1028 through 31. And do not fear those who kill the body but cannot kill the soul. Rather fear him, God, who can destroy both soul and body in hell. Are not two sparrows sold for a penny?

And not one of them will fall to the ground apart from your father. But even the hairs of your head are all numbered. Fear not, therefore, you are of more value. you than many sparrows. So the Christian is courageous and courage is not simply a feeling, kind of like love. It is a choice. It is a willed remembering of the God you serve, the purpose that he has for his children, and the hope that we have in heaven. It is a constant convincing of your mind that he is in control, that he is good, that he sees you, he hears you, he knows you, he knows what you need, and he is going to do exactly what he wills, whatever gives

himself the most glory he will do. Courage is not dependent upon our understanding of God's will. It is only dependent upon our willingness to trust it. Now, I say all of this as an admittedly fearful person. I am fearful of the world of the future for our country, for my children. There have been times when I feared COVID, when I fear the government. I am fearful of every single thing that I just said that Christians are not to fear. When I wake up in the middle of the night, my mind gravitates toward what I am scared of, the things I'm anxious about, the things I can't control, the things that I can't predict or figure out. And my propensity is to dwell on these things and then to try to minimize as much risk in my life as possible to keep my family in a bubble

so no one ever gets hurt or sick or rejected or is made to go through anything hard. That is my natural inclination. And yet, I have to ask for the strength to get up and simply do the next right thing that God asks me to do. I don't have to have it all figured out. I just have to do the next right thing in faith and with joy. And I have to trust that God has got it. So maybe your natural inclination is to only say and do that which you know will earn you approval with most of the people in your life. Maybe you fear going against the grain or stating your opinions about something or sharing your faith and expressing your values because you want the people around you to like you. And we've all been there. I've certainly been there. That is fear. So we should ask the Lord to help us

commit to courage. May the fear of God make us bold and brave before everyone else. Cowardness, I've learned, leads to compromise every time. Are crippling fears of a virus of the government, of the future of other people's opinions, of the million random what-ifs that we're afraid are going to ruin our lives or kill us, they'll lead to compromise. Because we will be so paralyzed that we won't do or say the thing that we know that we're supposed to do and or this fear will steal the joy and the gratitude and the love and the generosity that we're told Christians are supposed to have in spades. So let us not be cowards.

If you look at the world right now, you'll see that the world is marked by paranoia. Masked as virtue, by the way. Just stay home a little bit longer. Just one more month. Just one more regulation. One more mitigation measure. And then the government will give you your freedom back. And if you don't do these things, then you're just selfish.

We've heard that ad nauseum over the past two years. And you know, Satan is so clever. He's so clever driving people into isolation and anxiety and despair and convincing people that that is loving your neighbor. Satan is also so clever and convincing us that being scared to say what is true, whether it's the truth about God's design of male and female, the truth about life in the womb, the truth about any controversial subject today is love. Satan tells us being silent about those things or mimicking what the world says about those things is love, that somehow dancing around the truth is more compassionate than simply repeating what the God, who is love, as 1 John 4th, says, what he says in his word. And as we've said before, we cannot out love, out compassion God. Saying something that is true if God says it is true is the most loving thing we can do. So we're courageous in the power and the truth of God.

And we're also clear. We're so clear as much as we can be anyway. I watched this stunning video that was actually put out sometime last year by McLean Bible Church. This is David Platt's Church. And look, I've talked about the drama and division at that church, but I was really careful not to make it seem like I was calling out David Platt. I know maybe some of you would want me to do that. I'm not someone who has gone after Platt or written him off or anything like that.

I was surprised to see the video that I'm about to describe. And I'm going to link the video in the description of this episode. I want you to watch it for yourself. So you can see, oh, Ali, you know, she didn't describe that correctly or you actually agree with the episode. I want you to be able to watch it for yourself. Don't just take my word for it. But it's long, so we can't play the whole thing right now. This video, it was apparently about how to love transgender people.

And the reason why I say it's from a clean Bible church, the reason why that's important is because I'm not talking about some left-wing church that doesn't know the gospel and doesn't rely on scripture. Like, I'm talking about a church led by someone that a lot of us trust and have benefited from for a very long time. This is considered a conservative church. This video about apparently about how to love transgender people did not say anything about Genesis 1, anything about why God made us male and female, what it means to be made male and

female in God's image, how the God who is love made our body's good, and how it's a lie from the pit of hell that it's possible for a person to be born in the wrong body, or how the deception of radical gender ideology is wrecking people's lives. Instead, it said that Jesus suffered from a form of body dysphoria since he was God who became flesh and felt the consequences of sin on the cross and separation from the father. Even if that is some kind of way to try to understand this gender issue that is so convoluted and confusing and totally devoid of any practical advice or clear truth about how the gospel and scripture informed how we think about this issue. There was nothing about how we should think

about pronouns or how we should talk to people in our lives in this situation. Plus, he gives into the entire premise of gender ideology by using the term, quote, sex assigned at birth. Sex is not an assignment. It's not a social construct. It's the biology that God gave you a conception switching that language is incredibly significant. And like I said, go watch it. Maybe you'll have a different opinion than me, but to me, it was totally devoid of clarity. It was confusing. It was chaotic. it was convoluted, trying so hard to avoid saying what is just simply true. It is possible to speak the truth in love, but it is not loving to be intentionally confusing because you are scared of being called the bigot.

If you want a crystal clear biblical analysis of this issue, by the way, Re Love Thy Body by Nancy Piercy. I did an episode summarizing some of her book and adding my own analysis in an episode called the biblical telos of gender, which we will link. I encourage you to go back and listen to that. So here's what I fear. And this does tie in to everything that we're talking about today. Here's what I fear, that Christians are trying to, quote, nuance and, quote, empathy,

so scare quotes around those things, their way out of saying culturally inconvenient things. Because we so badly don't want to come across as harsh, religious, loveless zealots. We are so quick to accept the world's premises, their language, their arguments, and definitions. Then maybe we'll add a Bible verse onto it to make it sound. Christian, whether it's about race or justice or abortion or gender or marriage or sex or it is, Christians are scared. We've all been there. I've definitely been there. So we embrace secular chaos and we call it tension or nuance or love or empathy. Now, there is tension in this world for the Christian. For example, there is tension between caring so much about what's going

on in the world and knowing that it will eventually pass away and that Christ will declare victory. there is nuance in this world for the Christian, for example. We could say that there are many harmful ginger stereotypes that cause people to distress about how their bodies and their personalities seem incompatible. And maybe those are worth societal examination or reconfiguration, but that doesn't mean it's possible to switch sexes by mere self-decloration or even through surgery. Or there's nuance in that I'm so proud of my country, but I realize there is injustice that has existed here. Or yes, abortion is grave evil, but some women who have them are victims themselves.

There is also, yes, a time for empathy for the Christian. When we just listen and comfort and try to put ourselves in someone else's shoes, rather than correct or provide pushback or center ourselves in the conversation, there is definitely a time when love for the Christian looks only like soft-spoken gentleness, an affirmation of a person's worth as a person made in God's image. But what I'm afraid of is that many Christian women stop there, that they use these realities to stop themselves from speaking that which is true. Because a subject is complicated, they won't be clear on it. That's not helping anyone.

That's just fear. You can realize these are hard topics and still be so clear, using God's word on what is good and right and true. It's okay to simply say without a million caveats, abortion is evil. God made us male and female, and he said that it was good. Kids need a mom and dad. Sex is for marriage. Social justice isn't biblical justice. Yes, there's more to all of these things. We spend a lot of time on this show explaining our why behind them and analyzing the different angles. But you don't have to be scared to say them just because they're complicated and they're going to solicit pushback. These are not primarily political and cultural issues for the Christian. They have become cultural war issues, but they're pre-political for us. They're biblical issues that have become political and cultural. So you are not being divisive by talking about them, or maybe you are. Maybe you are and that's okay.

The truth divides. Now, I don't abandon or I don't recommend abandoning friendships and relationships over these disagreements, but I also think you shouldn't stay quiet about them because you're scared of upsetting someone. So all this to say, let this be the year that the church is so important. incredibly, consistently, persistently, courageously clear on these things. And more, and more than just the things that we just listed. Also about the proper role and authority of the government versus the church versus the family. I'm thinking about the so-called conversion therapy ban bill that passed

in Canada. We talked about a Canadian pastor about that. It actually restricts the speech and the services of Christian professionals. It's not a ban on just barbaric electro-shock. Electro-shock. therapy. It is a ban on even helping children who are confused about their gender, love their own body, even someone who wants help dealing with unwanted same-sex attraction cannot get help because of this bill, this law now in Canada. Someone apparently cannot be counseled through detransitioning. So in the midst of things like that, the church cannot waver there or elsewhere in saying what is true, not just because we want to be right, but because this has intense immense consequences on people, especially children. Puberty blockers, surgery, even social transition is all destructive of a person's

body and true identity in a child's psychological well-being. Not to mention the vulnerability of women and girls who are being forced to accept men into their private spaces and athletic competitions. Who will speak up for these people if not the church? The church, at her best, is a refuge for the most vulnerable people. Not just the poor and the outcast and the disabled, although that's true as well, But for the young, for the confused, for the lost, we stand in their stead by standing steadfastly on the Word of God in clarity and courage. So when I say clarity and courage are my goals, aren't relatable. I am speaking as someone who is actively seeking these things, not as a person who has obtained

them. I do have clarity and courage in some areas, as we all do. But my goal is to pursue and emulate these things better and better as time goes on with the help of God, with the help of you. And my hope is that we can learn to do that together. Now, why am I so passionate about Christians speaking up about issues that to many people seem unnecessarily political and divisive and just culture war issues, religious liberty, free speech, parental rights, the makeup of the family, gender, abortion, the role of the government?

Because you guys know it by now. Because people matter. And politics affect policy and policy affects people. because politics matter, because policy matters, because people matter. That's why. That's why I care about being courageous and clear on all of these issues. And we're going to get into now, finally, how this relates to some of the things that we're talking about today in relation to what was said at the Supreme Court in relation to the policies

that continue to come down the pipeline that are disproportionately negatively affecting the most vulnerable and marginalized population in the world, and that is children. Hey, this is Steve Day. If you're listening to Allie, you already understand that the biggest issues facing our country aren't just political. They're moral, spiritual, and rooted in what we believe is true about God, humanity, and reality itself. On the Steve Day show, we take the news of the day and tested against first principles,

faith, truth, and objective reality. We don't just chase narratives and we don't offer false comfort. We ask the hard questions and follow the answers wherever they leave, even when it's unpopular. This is a show for people who want honesty over hype and clarity over chaos. If you're looking for commentary grounded in conviction and unwilling to lie to you about where we are or where we're headed, you can watch this D-Day show right here on Blaze TV or listen wherever you get podcasts. I hope you'll join us. We have seen over the last two years how deeply policy affects people, maybe more than ever, at least in our lifetimes, especially when it comes to children.

So in March of 2020, many states locked down, Republican and Democrat. Soon, however, that changed to became partisan. Most Republican states opened up, went back to school, took off masks, opened up businesses, and many Democrat states did not. They mandated curfews. They issued lockdowns. They closed businesses. They enforced mask wearing, et cetera.

You guys know, you've lived it. And truly, to no avail. Over the last two years, the blue states overall have not performed any better than the red states. as far as cases and deaths go. Some red states have done really poorly. Some blue states like New York have done really poorly. For example, New York seven-day average death rate right now was higher than it was last year.

Despite New York City's vaccine mandate, despite the passport that's required for the vaccine in New York City, despite the mandate for health care workers, despite all the restrictions put on schools and businesses. Remember, last year, almost no one was vaccinated. We're seeing similar patterns with countries around the world. Countries with very draconian laws and high vaccine numbers still have high cases and high deaths. Australia, the country with some of the heaviest restrictions in the world, it looks like a freaking police state right now and very few exemptions allowed for people for the vaccine. The cases have skyrocketed to an all-time high. We knew early on that lockdowns were not helpful.

We saw the data from the get-go, even the WHO. was not recommending full-on lockdowns. We also knew early on that kids going to school in person needed to be a priority. How did we know that? Because every other country in the world was prioritizing it except for us. And we saw right away the detriment to their mental health from remote learning. Most countries in the world didn't even require masks for kids under 12. The WHO didn't recommend them for kids under six. What did the United States do? We required kids as young as two in many cases to wear masks. We knew that throwing kids already so impressionable at such an unstable, unsure, vulnerable, hormonal for teenagers' time in their lives

would have a, that they would have a hard time adjusting to their world being thrown for a loop. And so most people, conservatives in the United States and a lot of different kinds of politically affiliated adults in other countries said, no, kids are going back to schools. And they shouldn't wear masks. In the U.S., we have this scourge, this curse upon our land. And it's called the teachers' unions, who, no matter what they try to say now, no matter how they try to memory whole, what they fought for and what they said and what they did for the last two years, no matter how many New York Times articles and puff pieces are written

about Randy Weingarten and the teachers unions, they fought to keep schools remote. Now, listen, I got to caveat this. There are a ton of great public school teachers who wanted to teach in person. But the teachers unions in cities like Chicago and L.A. and in Arizona, they protested, they rallied. they fought to keep schools closed. They staged fake funerals for themselves. They claimed they were going to die if they had to go to school, despite the fact that millions of other people

had continued to go in person to their jobs for the entirety of the pandemic. But because Democrats are owned by the teachers unions and associations, they listen to them. So many Democrat-run districts stayed remote. And what happened? Kids fell through the cracks. Child abuse numbers went up. Child suicide numbers went up.

IQ went down. Their aptitude in English and math. went down and what did we hear from the teachers unions and people on the left kids are resilient. How cruel. How cruel. So this began to be a losing battle for the Democratic Party when they realized that even progressive parents in the United States were starting to get upset about their seven-year-old sitting in front of a computer screen all day. They realized that they needed to get kids back to school so they could be voted for and win elections. So they kind of struck a deal. They said, okay, let's appease the teachers unions, which have us by the throat.

And let's try to appease our voters who are starting to get a little bit ornery about this whole thing. So they promised teachers the first round of the vaccine back when it was rationed. They said, okay, teachers need to be safe. So you should get the shots first so we can open up schools and everybody will be happy. We were told this would be the end of this whole thing. Teachers got their shots. What happened? well, we saw this fall an epic battle about masks.

We saw schools filled with teachers, filled with a vaccine that they said would protect them against the virus, insist that everyone wear masks and continue to social distance. We know from the reporting of David Zwig in New York Magazine first and then the Atlantic that the CDC study supporting mask wearing were completely misleading and that the data does not actually support the idea that mask mandates in schools is actually mitigating the spread at all. And even if it did, this is my commentary now, even if it did, who cares? Because the vaccinated teachers are theoretically protected and there is a 0.001% chance of the kid even going to the hospital with COVID, much less dying from it. I mean, that's from the Health, the Department of Health and Human Services in the United States.

okay, that's a real number. 0.0.01 chance of a kid even going to the hospital with COVID. So why should we hinder kids' ability to socialize and communicate and learn a single bit with masks when teachers are, as the unions insisted, they should be protected? And let me just add to that with findings from a study from the UK government. The study says, this particular study says that masks can mitigate the spread if masks are worn properly. It does not talk about whether or not data shows that the mask mandates have actually been effective in mitigating the spread more than other measures.

They just said if worn properly, properly masks can mitigate the spread, which I do think is true. The problem is the numbers do not show at all. If you look state to state, school to school, that mandating masks actually has any effect whatsoever on case or death rates. We've gone through that many, many times. But here's what the UK study says. Quote, wearing face coverings may have physical side effects and impair face identification, verbal and nonverbal communication between teacher and learner. This means there are downsides to face coverings for pupils and students, including detrimental impacts on communication in the classroom. A survey conducted by the Department for Education in April 2021 found that almost all secondary leaders and teachers 94% thought that wearing face coverings has made communication between teachers and students more difficult, with 50% and students, 59% saying it has made it a lot more difficult.

Research into the effect of mask wearing on communication is found that concealing the speaker's lips led to lower performance, lower confidence scores, and increased perceived effort on the part of the listener. Moreover, metacognitive monitoring was worse when listening in these conditions compared with listening to an unmasked talker. A survey of impacts on communication with mask wearing and adults reported that face coverings negatively impact hearing, understanding, engagement, and feelings of connection with the speaker. People with hearing loss were impacted more than those without hearing loss, of course, because they have to read lips in order to understand.

The inability to see facial expressions and to read lips have a major impact on speech, understanding for those with hearing impairments. The worst of the hearing, the greater the impact of the mask. The WHO reports that the wearing of masks by children with hearing loss or auditory problems may present learning barriers and further challenges, exacerbated by the need to adhere to the recommended physical distancing. So sad. These children may miss learning opportunities because of the degraded speech signal

stemming from mask wearing, the elimination of lip reading and speaker expressions and physical distancing. So apparently, this is a marginalized group that we just don't care about, that we're allowing to go to the back burner because of our worship of these useless rules. And then there's more on this and the effect of masks on children's ability to learn. There is this article in the Daily Mail. COVID rules are blamed for 23% dive in young children's development. Disturbing study shows scores and three key cognitive tests slumped between 2018 and 2021 with face mask rules among possible culprits. So this is a Brown University study that they are referring to that shows that.

that social distancing measures, including face masks, are suspected of causing young children's development to have dropped by up to 23% during the COVID pandemic. Results showed the early learning composite mean result dropped by a whopping 23% from a high of just under 100% in 2019 to around 80 to 2020 and finally 77 in 2021. The verbal development quotient also dropped dramatically from an average of 100 in 2018 to just below 90 in 2020 and around 70 in 2021. The study concluded that children born during the pandemic also have significantly reduced verbal motor and overall cognitive performance compared to children born pre-pandemic.

Of course, because if they are around caretakers who are wearing masks, they're unable to read lips, they're unable to see facial expressions, of course, that's going to be hindered. Conservatives have been saying this for the past two years. and the American Academy of Pediatrics had the audacity, even though they know the truth, had the audacity to tweet out a tweet thread a few months ago saying there's no evidence that shows whatsoever that it's going to hinder cognitive ability or any kind of social, emotional development for children. The American Academy of Pediatrics had the audacity to say that.

We knew. We knew then and we know now. It's just amazing. When you disagree with institutions like the American, an Academy of Pediatrics or the CDC, you're called a conspiracy theorist, even when it's common sense, even when they know it to be true. And then when the record is corrected and all the people who are called conspiracy theorists for disagreeing with those institutions are vindicated, don't ever apologizes. It's pretty amazing. So conclusion, it's not worth it. The mask is not

saving their lives because for 99.99.99% of them their life isn't at risk. So there's really no reward for them wearing contaminated cloth masks to school. But now it's not just masks that some teachers and the teachers unions are wanting to keep them safe, these vaccinated teachers. Now there are districts that are wanting to close altogether again and go back to remote learning because of Omicron, which is from all available data, more transmissible, but much more mild. It's apparently escaping both natural immunity and vaccine immunity, but it typically amounts to the sniffles for anyone who gets it, whether they have prior immunity or not. And yet, the Chicago Teachers Union is insisting on not showing up for work.

So the Chicago Teachers Union, back up to no good. So this is what PBS says. Leaders of the nation's third largest school district canceled classes for a third consecutive day as heated negotiations continued with the Chicago Teachers Union over remote learning and other COVID-19 safety measures. And as we speak, apparently this closure is, it's going into this week. The union, which voted this week, this is last week, to revert to online instruction, told teachers not to show up to schools starting Wednesday during the latest COVID-19 surge,

while both sides negotiate. They serve roughly 350,000 students in this district. These are students from predominantly poor communities in Chicago, by the way. many of whom come from one parent households where the parent has to work. So what are they supposed to do? What are they supposed to do? These little six, seven-year-old kids, they're forced to stay home by themselves all day. And no, that's not saying that teachers are just babysitters.

That's just the reality. That's the reality. Kids depend on going to school. Yes, of course, for education, but also for food in some cases, for a welfare check. Yes, that is part of the public education system, for all of the bad, that exist in the public education system, there are benefits, especially to the most marginalized and to the most vulnerable kids. Now, there are even liberals that are criticizing these unions, to their credit, Leanna Wynn, who has been just a fierce advocate of all kinds of COVID

restrictions and vaccine passports and vaccine verification for domestic flights. She's also the foreign plan parenthood director. And so we, I think, have a reason to question whether or not her ostensible concern for human life is genuine, but she pointed out on Twitter that teachers were prioritized in line for the vaccine so they could teach in person, which is absolutely true. That's a good point. Nicole Hannah Jones, the author of the 1619 project, you know, broken clocks and all that stuff, tweeted her disapproval of teachers refusing to teach when the vaccine is available to

them. Lori Lightfoot, Democratic mayor of Chicago, who in general, does a very terrible job. It's telling teachers to go back to work, which I think is just a political ploy to pretend like she's actually fighting with the teachers' unions. I'm sure there's shady stuff going on behind the scenes. But the city and this union are at least from the outside.

It looks like they're fighting right now at the expense, again, of hundreds of thousands of children. I just, I don't understand. I don't understand. I mean, I do. Teachers unions are corrupt. So that's how it is. but I mean the science is so obvious the data is so readily available that the vaccine

significantly lowers the chances of serious illness i mean i i think that the data shows that pretty well it does not stop infection or transmission it looks like at all but it seems to help people get less sick seems now i do know people who are vaccinated who have had a very serious case and lots and lots of unvaccinated people who barely had a cold because again in general the of anyone, no matter your Vax status, getting serious illness is less than 1%. So the question stands, what is the problem here? You're vaccinated. And if you're so pro-vax, prove it.

Go out in public and do your job like most people have been doing a lot of people for the entirety of the past two years. Now, again, most teachers don't feel this way or act this way. But most of the teachers unions do. And many teachers do within these teachers unions. unfortunately. Now, one silver lining is that parents who can are going to pull their kids out. Bad news, lots of parents can't. And they'll be stuck with this lack of education for their kid who will fall further behind. Like, if you thought that we had bad education and income gaps between the rich

and the poor before, just wait till the data comes out in 10 to 20 years that people with means are making sure their kid doesn't fall behind. Of course. The single working mom doesn't have that option. And in some schools that are open, teachers and administrators are so, paranoid that kids are, that kids are actually being forced to eat their lunch outside in 38 degree weather. Like, I don't really, is that better that they're actually going to school in person learning, but they're being forced to eat outside? I don't know. So here's, here's what this article says in my northwest.com. Jody Isaacson, she's a mom of kids at Lakeview Elementary School in Kirkland, Washington. She, she, she has raised

awareness about this that her kids, her elementary school kids are being forced to eat their lunch outside in 38 degree weather because apparently them eating inside could potentially spread COVID germs because they're being, they'll have to take their masks off to eat. So this article says, or Jody Isaacson says, says according to this article, our kids are political actors in a show they don't want to be in, she added. So true. Great way to put that. when we are putting kids in 38 degree weather because we want to put on a show and pretend we're doing something about COVID, it's just completely absurd. They only have 15 minutes for lunch. They have to socially distance while eating. They're not allowed to speak in outside voices because apparently that contributes to the spread of COVID. Now, she posted, I believe this is the same woman who goes by the predicament on Twitter. She posted an email that she got from the principal.

at this elementary school, and she posted the bottom part of it. We'll show the tweet if you're watching on YouTube. It says, on Sundays during January through February, I will send a brief message indicating whether students will be eating indoors due to frigid weather in the coming week. This week, students will remain eating outdoors as temperatures are expected to be above 38 degrees. She signs off, stay warm, Heather. Stay warm? Oh my goodness.

You know how I told you last year that I try really hard and I pray for the strength of the Holy Spirit to help me not to cuss and certainly not to call people names that I shouldn't call them? I'm trying. The Holy Spirit is working really hard and I'm trying really hard. Stay warm, Heather. Stay warm, Heather? Are you kidding me when kids are being forced to eat in 38 degree weather? Stay warm, Heather. Oh, the audacity of this principal, guys.

that is, I mean, it's cruel. It's cruel. I don't know what else to call it. Heather Frazier is apparently the name of this woman. Oh my goodness. This is how we treat children. This is how we treat children. I think the pandemic has shown us once and for all that our society hates kids. Then there's also this article in the Daily Mail talking about how the same thing is happening in New York City. And 39 degree weather, elementary school students are being forced to eat their lunches outside. There was a Brooklyn mom who raised awareness about that because they've been eating outside since August. And apparently there is no, there is no sign of stopping. Kids in Balmere, California are also being made to eat outside, which is not as bad. But still,

like, they should be allowed to eat inside. This is so unscientific and just nonsensical. I mean, what are we doing here? What exactly are we doing here? Why are we sacrificing the well-being of kids for the comfort of adults. Because we're cowards. That's why. Because we're coddled, cowards. Did you all see the story out of Houston about the English teacher whose son was found in the trunk of her car? She drove him to get a COVID test and she put him in the trunk. Okay, we're not just talking about, we're talking about like a car, like it's enclosed. We're not just talking about in the very back of the car, which would be irresponsible to because he needs to be buckled up. We're talking about enclosed.

I'm pretty sure from the description. That's what it seems like. I think they would have probably specified if it wasn't because she said she wanted to limit her exposure to the virus. She has been placed on administrative leave. I think she's talked to the police. I don't know if she was arrested. I don't know. That whole deal.

But she put her own child into the trunk of her car because she didn't want to get exposed to COVID. Can you imagine? Like when my kids get sick, I am all. up in their business. I don't care. It's snuggle. This is part of the deal. Snuggle time with mom on the couch for 12 hours a day until they get better. Cough in my mouth. I don't care. It's my child. They're like extensions of me. If they got COVID, I would not do a single thing to try to limit my exposure. That's what I signed up for when I decided to become a mom. I bear their burdens, whatever they are, happily. But COVID has brought out the most psychotic and selfish characteristics in people.

And yet the same people, by the way, this is rich, the same people forcing kids to sit in 40 degree weather to eat their sandwiches and stuffing their preteens into trunks of their car are the people who will call you selfish for not getting vaccinated. Even though your vaccine scientifically has no effect on them at all. All of this that we are doing and allowing for our kids is really affecting them. It's really affecting them and not just academically. kids are really struggling when it comes to mental health. This is according to the New York Times. Quote, among emergency department visits by girls ages 12 to 17 in early 2021, there was a more than 50% increase in suspected suicide attempts compared with the same period in 2019. In the first six months of this year, children's hospitals across the country reported a 45% increase in the number of self-injury and suicide cases in 5 to 17-year-olds. five to 17-year-olds compared with the same period in 2019.

Now, this is according to the American Academy of Pediatrics. This study also had a lot of just political nonsense in it, but I thought this part was pertinent. Quote, rates of childhood, mental health concerns and suicide rose steadily between 2010 and 2020. And by 2018, suicide was the second leading cause for death among death for youth ages 10 to 24. The pandemic has intensified this crisis. Across the country, we have witnessed dramatic incontal. in emergency department visits for all mental health emergencies, including suspected suicide attempts. We have a responsibility as parents, as adults, as any adult to help our kids and to help

kids in general have as stable and normal lives as possible. Your cloth mask, your kids' friends' cloth masks, and your kids' teachers' cloth masks, are doing very little to protect them from a virus that is far less dangerous to them than get it in the car every day. Their remote learning is far more dangerous to them, holistically, long-term than them going to school and possibly catching a cold. They are more likely to die in a car wreck or from a host of other causes than they are from COVID.

We really need parents to understand this, to understand that the data behind mask mandates for schools is not at all supported. To understand that the risk of COVID to kids is extremely low, we really need to start prioritizing that well-being of kids It's just so ironic in an age where we're constantly focused on mental health and therapy, how the mental health and well-being of kids seem to be pushed to the, seems to be being pushed to the wayside. Parents have teenagers. I think we got to get our kids. I mean, my kids aren't to this

age, but kids got to get off TikTok and Tumblr and Instagram, at least constantly. It's destroying their brains. Talk to them. Make them go outside. Read a book. Let them hang out with friends. Take them to church with you. I know it's easier said than done. I know. I don't have teenagers, but I've been a teenager. I know. But your child's mind is yours to steward. You are still tasked with shaping them and influencing and teaching them while we still have time. We talked about a couple weeks ago, we're still 22 months closer to death than we were when this pandemic started. That's true for kids too. Their childhood is wasting away. They get one childhood, one chance at all of this. parents unfortunately though continue to isolate their kids

and act in paranoia when the CDC releases statements like kids with COVID are more likely to then be diagnosed with diabetes and so parents understandably freak out but let's think about this like what kind of kids are likely to get really sick with COVID obese kids what kind of kids are also likely to be diagnosed with diabetes obese kids also it doesn't help that we're telling people to stay inside by themselves, thereby encouraging unhealthy weight gain. Also, viruses in general can cause other diseases like diabetes, so it's possible, but it's not reason for parents to live in more paranoia. Or how about our wise sage, justice Sotomayor, who said on Friday in the hearing about the

vaccine mandate that 100,000 children are in the hospital for COVID, many of whom are on ventilators. We'll fact check that in just one second. So PolitiFacts actually corrected Sonia Sotomayor, which is amazing because their left wing. They fact checked what she said. They said, no, no. The number is actually about 3,000 of pediatric hospitalizations with COVID, which means many of those are incidental, meaning they're in the hospital for something else and they happen to test positive. Okay?

So that's not 3,000 kids, which is a tiny, tiny, tiny. tiny, tiny fraction of the number of kids in the United States. The vast majority of that tiny number, respectively, is not, they're not there because of COVID. It's incidental. They happen to have COVID and they're there for something else. Rochelle Wollenski, the CDC director, and she is pretty consistently, she's pretty consistently factless and a fearmonger about this. But she even fact-checked Sonia Sotomayor on Fox News Sunday.

And she said, no, we don't even know of a single child on a ventilator right now. She also reiterated that 3,000 number, that is 3,000 kids who just happen to be COVID positive and none on ventilators. And she also, so on Fox News Sunday, this is different than the pediatric conversation. She was asked by Brett Baer, how many of them. of the people who the CDC says have died from COVID over 800,000 now. How many people died with COVID and how many people actually died of COVID? That is a distinction with a difference. And she said that data is forthcoming.

So she didn't say she didn't actually push back or say, no, no, no. These are all people who died of COVID. I mean, we've known this for a long time, but once again, called conspiracy theorists for saying that. I'm not saying that those 800,000 people who died that they're not significant or it doesn't matter or that any number of people who actually died of COVID that that's not significant. But doesn't that make a big difference if this is affecting policy that is then affecting people, especially children? Like, doesn't it matter if the real number is 200,000 people who died actually of COVID

or 100,000 people versus 800,000? I mean, that changes the calculation a little bit, doesn't it? I mean, even with the 800,000, that still puts the death rate very, very, very low. But if it's even lower than that, I mean, again, like, what are we all doing here? That's the director of the CDC, not willing to say how many people have actually died of COVID versus people who died of a million other things, heart attack, cancer, whatever, and just happened to also test positive for COVID. Oh, yeah, yeah, yeah. Now, people are also trying to call out Justice Gorsuch on the Supreme Court.

who, according to a transcript, said the flu kills hundreds of thousands of people a year. He was saying this in an effort to make his point. But he actually didn't say that. If you listen to the audio, he said the flu kills hundreds, thousands of people a year. It was a transcript error. But people on the left on Twitter were freaking out about this misinformation and how it's so terrible, how it's so unprofessional. They didn't have anything to say about Sotomayu. you're grossly misconstruing the pediatric hospitalization rate because I've realized that COVID fearmongers,

they don't actually care about misinformation. They care about information they don't like, whether it's untrue information or true information. They just get angry about anything that doesn't finish their narrative. But if a lie helps them achieve their end, then they don't really care whether or not it's true. The flu actually does, by the way, kill tens of thousands of people every year. So I think that's significant. Sotomayor said a lot of other things that weren't true. As did Justice Kagan, blatant misinformation about the vaccine's ability to end the virus and stop the spread.

That's just false. It's just a lie. The data just doesn't show that, especially now. Sotomayor also said that human beings are just machines that spew sparks, I guess, implying that we have to do whatever possible to control them. Now, this is the same woman who sat in the re-examil. recent abortion Dobbs case that just because a baby moves does not mean that she can feel pain. And even if she can feel pain, it doesn't mean she's alive.

So, I mean, she's not the smartest lady. I think everyone kind of knows that. It's almost a running joke. But she does perfectly represent the secular progressive view of human beings, just clumps of cells to be regulated by the government. The Christian worldview stands opposed to that. We are all people made in God's image. Therefore, in my view, in the founder view, we are entitled.

we are entitled to certain inalienable rights that predate and supersede any government power. That includes the right to live, to work, to provide for your family. I think that worldview also tells us that people are more than just machine spewing sparks, that children are more than just sacrifices on the altar of adults, paranoia, and progressive whims. It means that there are people who matter whose futures matter whose lives, whose minds, whose hearts and souls matter. And that's the whole debate that we have been having over the past couple of years. It seems like we are, I mean, we are having a clash of worldviews.

Whereas one side seems to only care about what a virus can do to your body. Doesn't it all care about the rest of the needs that human beings have, their emotional needs, their spiritual needs. You need to be able to fellowship. You need to be able to worship. You need to be able to congregate. You need to be able to work. You need to be able to access entertainment.

All of these things are good parts of life that are necessary for human fulfillment. We are not just bodies. Like we are not just machines. There are things to fear. In addition to death, there are things that are worse than dying, believe it or not. The Christian worldview informs us of that. As people made in the image of God, we have souls. we understand that we have needs to be met that are not just physical.

The physical matters absolutely, but so do the rest of us. And gosh, we have forgotten that, especially as it pertains to children. So we've got to be courageous. We've got to be clear on all things, but especially on this, because we're seeing, we're seeing the detriment, we're seeing the consequences. And I think that the church needs to be so crystal clear and brave when it comes to this particular subject. people aren't standing up for kids and so we have to.

All right. There's more that I wanted to talk about, but it's already run long. Ran long. What did I say? I think I said run. Or maybe I said rung. I don't know what I was trying to say. This has already run long is what I was trying to say.

And so, I mean, it's just, it's Monday. I guess I just, there's a lot. There's a lot that's going on in my head. So you'll have to be gracious with me and some of, the tongue time that I've experienced today and this super long episode. But I hope you enjoyed it. We're back with a vengeance. We'll be back tomorrow. We're talking about other super important things. If you would, just start out the new year. Please be so kind just to leave a five-star review on Apple Podcasts. If you like the show, and please, if you like, share this podcast with someone

you know that would love it. Thank you guys so much for listening or watching. I will be back here tomorrow. Hey, this is Steve Day. If you're listening to Allie, you already understand that the biggest issues facing our country aren't just political. They're moral, spiritual, and rooted in what we believe is true about God, humanity, and reality itself. On the Steve Day show, we take the news of the day and tested against first principles, faith, truth, and objective reality. We don't just chase narratives and we don't offer false comfort. We ask the hard questions and follow the answers wherever they leave, even when it's unpopular. This is a show for people who want honesty over hype and clarity over chaos. If you're looking for commentary grounded in conviction and unwilling to lie to you about where we are or where we're headed, you can watch this D-Day show right here on Blaze TV or listen wherever you get podcasts.

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