Welcome to the Strang Report podcast!
March 1, 2024

Standing for Life leads to Persecution in America with Paul Vaughn

Standing for Life leads to Persecution in America with Paul Vaughn
The player is loading ...
Strang Report

Uncover the shocking story of Paul Vaughn's FBI arrest and the injustice it reveals in America's justice system. This religious news insight will leave you questioning the truth behind the FBI's actions. Don't miss this eye-opening interview.

Transcript
1
00:00:00,000 --> 00:00:16,120
Hello everyone, I'm Stephen Strang and welcome to this edition of the Strang Report.

2
00:00:16,120 --> 00:00:22,320
Today we're going to talk about a very important issue and that is the pro-life stance and

3
00:00:22,320 --> 00:00:27,560
the difficulty that some people are having and where the government is actually being

4
00:00:27,560 --> 00:00:32,880
weaponized against those who are standing for life.

5
00:00:32,880 --> 00:00:36,000
And it's very, very serious at many different levels.

6
00:00:36,000 --> 00:00:41,960
And I happen to see my guest today, Paul Vaughn, on the Mike Huckabee show on TBN a couple

7
00:00:41,960 --> 00:00:47,400
of weeks ago and then last week at National Religious Broadcasters, he was with a group

8
00:00:47,400 --> 00:00:52,600
of people and we were talking and when I realized who he was, I invited him to be on my podcast

9
00:00:52,600 --> 00:00:57,480
because I believe this is something that everyone in the body of Christ, really every

10
00:00:57,480 --> 00:01:05,080
American needs to know and be aware of because in addition to the pro-life issue, there's

11
00:01:05,080 --> 00:01:10,040
the issue of our freedoms of if the government can come after people like you're going to

12
00:01:10,040 --> 00:01:11,040
hear now.

13
00:01:11,040 --> 00:01:12,680
So you don't want to miss this.

14
00:01:12,680 --> 00:01:14,520
In fact, share this with other people.

15
00:01:14,520 --> 00:01:18,560
By the way, if you don't subscribe to the Strang Report, now is a good time to do it.

16
00:01:18,560 --> 00:01:23,440
Hit the little bell so you're notified when we're on live every Tuesday and Thursday at

17
00:01:23,440 --> 00:01:25,520
4 p.m. Eastern time.

18
00:01:25,520 --> 00:01:30,160
So let me start by introducing Paul Vaughn.

19
00:01:30,160 --> 00:01:36,200
He's the president of Personhood, Tennessee, and with him is his attorney who's a senior

20
00:01:36,200 --> 00:01:42,480
counsel for the Thomas Moore Society, which is a very respected law firm who is well known

21
00:01:42,480 --> 00:01:47,440
for promoting the pro-life stance.

22
00:01:47,440 --> 00:01:50,600
Thank you to you both for being on my podcast today.

23
00:01:50,600 --> 00:01:53,840
So how can you tell the story?

24
00:01:53,840 --> 00:01:56,200
I know the story, but not as well as you.

25
00:01:56,200 --> 00:02:03,480
So why don't you tell us what happened that caused you to be arrested for merely protesting

26
00:02:03,480 --> 00:02:07,000
peacefully in front of an abortion clinic?

27
00:02:07,000 --> 00:02:08,000
Sure, Stephen.

28
00:02:08,000 --> 00:02:09,520
And thanks for having us on.

29
00:02:09,520 --> 00:02:12,600
It's great to talk with you again.

30
00:02:12,600 --> 00:02:14,600
You know, the story covers a lot of ground.

31
00:02:14,600 --> 00:02:19,520
There's a lot of time in between the main elements of the story.

32
00:02:19,520 --> 00:02:24,480
And in March of 21, we were with a group of Christians at an abortion mill in Mount

33
00:02:24,480 --> 00:02:26,280
Julia, Tennessee.

34
00:02:26,280 --> 00:02:29,800
And we had a couple different groups there.

35
00:02:29,800 --> 00:02:34,320
We had people out on the sidewalk, you know, just singing and praying and stuff.

36
00:02:34,320 --> 00:02:36,160
It was a multi-tenant building.

37
00:02:36,160 --> 00:02:39,960
So the abortion clinic was actually inside a building, a medical office building where

38
00:02:39,960 --> 00:02:42,680
there were other businesses in there as well.

39
00:02:42,680 --> 00:02:46,800
So the dentist and chiropractors and other things like that.

40
00:02:46,800 --> 00:02:49,500
And so some of us went into the building.

41
00:02:49,500 --> 00:02:57,520
Some wanted to do what was common in the 90s, a rescue operation where they would sit near

42
00:02:57,520 --> 00:03:03,440
the door and try to, you know, give the sidewalk counselor's time to talk to women seeking

43
00:03:03,440 --> 00:03:04,640
abortion.

44
00:03:04,640 --> 00:03:09,480
And that's what personhood, part of our ministry's personhood is we did sidewalk counseling.

45
00:03:09,480 --> 00:03:13,860
And so we had sidewalk counseling teams in the hallway there and out in the parking lot.

46
00:03:13,860 --> 00:03:19,320
And we, you know, would engage with the moms coming into the building and coming down the

47
00:03:19,320 --> 00:03:21,600
hallway to the abortion clinic.

48
00:03:21,600 --> 00:03:23,000
So that's what we were doing that day.

49
00:03:23,000 --> 00:03:28,320
I ended up talking with the police officers and when they arrived on scene and helped,

50
00:03:28,320 --> 00:03:31,480
you know, just facilitate a peaceful resolution to the process.

51
00:03:31,480 --> 00:03:36,240
There were some people arrested for blocking doors that day for refusing to leave when

52
00:03:36,240 --> 00:03:37,960
the police told them to.

53
00:03:37,960 --> 00:03:39,160
I was not one of those.

54
00:03:39,160 --> 00:03:41,680
My sidewalk team was not one of those.

55
00:03:41,680 --> 00:03:46,240
We literally all we did that day was read the Bible, sing hymns and pray.

56
00:03:46,240 --> 00:03:50,400
And in my case, I talked to the police officers during the event inside and I talked to the

57
00:03:50,400 --> 00:03:53,720
media, you know, once the event was over outside.

58
00:03:53,720 --> 00:03:56,880
And that's the extent of my actions that day.

59
00:03:56,880 --> 00:04:03,160
All peacefully, you know, executed great report with the police officers that day and left

60
00:04:03,160 --> 00:04:07,400
with no arrest, no warnings, no nothing.

61
00:04:07,400 --> 00:04:12,000
Only to have the FBI show up a year and a half later in October of 22, banging on my

62
00:04:12,000 --> 00:04:18,440
door in the morning, you know, for armed, armed FBI agents with long guns and tactical

63
00:04:18,440 --> 00:04:24,080
gear telling me they were looking for me and arresting me in front of my wife and children

64
00:04:24,080 --> 00:04:28,160
and then taking me away without letting anyone know where I was.

65
00:04:28,160 --> 00:04:33,400
So for for six hours, I was basically kidnapped, where my family didn't know where I was.

66
00:04:33,400 --> 00:04:35,240
My sheriff didn't know where I was.

67
00:04:35,240 --> 00:04:39,680
The governor and state representatives of Tennessee didn't know where I was.

68
00:04:39,680 --> 00:04:45,400
And that was in the basement at the federal court building in downtown Nashville.

69
00:04:45,400 --> 00:04:46,680
And so what was the reason?

70
00:04:46,680 --> 00:04:49,920
Was it just to intimidate you?

71
00:04:49,920 --> 00:04:55,840
You know, you're a respected businessman in your community, father of 11 children.

72
00:04:55,840 --> 00:04:57,360
You have no criminal history.

73
00:04:57,360 --> 00:05:00,240
You were not a flight risk, as they say.

74
00:05:00,240 --> 00:05:03,200
So why didn't they just say, would you come down here?

75
00:05:03,200 --> 00:05:05,320
We have a few questions for you.

76
00:05:05,320 --> 00:05:06,320
Sure.

77
00:05:06,320 --> 00:05:07,840
You would think that'd be reasonable, right?

78
00:05:07,840 --> 00:05:09,360
That's a natural thing to do.

79
00:05:09,360 --> 00:05:13,040
I've been in the in the on the same form for 15 years.

80
00:05:13,040 --> 00:05:17,240
We own a business, as you said, for 11 and 12 and 12 years now.

81
00:05:17,240 --> 00:05:21,240
I hear serving our community and I would have gladly answered a call and come down to talk

82
00:05:21,240 --> 00:05:22,240
to them.

83
00:05:22,240 --> 00:05:27,720
But you know, the reality is, are all these processes are made up people and people that

84
00:05:27,720 --> 00:05:33,520
have individual character and different motives and things that drive them.

85
00:05:33,520 --> 00:05:40,640
And the actual reality is the lead FBI agent, Mark Schaefer, that led this case was the

86
00:05:40,640 --> 00:05:44,200
one that decided locally here in Tennessee, where there's only one where we had hardcore

87
00:05:44,200 --> 00:05:46,160
raids like at my house.

88
00:05:46,160 --> 00:05:50,400
All the other defendants in other states had very good congenial, you know, please come

89
00:05:50,400 --> 00:05:54,400
down and talk to us, kind of summons and warrants.

90
00:05:54,400 --> 00:05:58,840
But here in Tennessee, they kicked on the doors and drug us out and made a big harassing,

91
00:05:58,840 --> 00:06:02,560
you know, big, big statement in the media, as it were.

92
00:06:02,560 --> 00:06:08,800
And and the reality is, for whatever reason, this Mark Schaefer 30 days after this event

93
00:06:08,800 --> 00:06:13,200
got promoted to the office of congressional affairs in Washington, DC.

94
00:06:13,200 --> 00:06:19,560
So he moved up in the world and and we moved down to the basement of the federal building.

95
00:06:19,560 --> 00:06:23,800
And then tell us about this law.

96
00:06:23,800 --> 00:06:29,600
I remember from hearing you talk about it, that is called face, which I'm not sure what

97
00:06:29,600 --> 00:06:37,600
it stands for, and it was passed in the 90s to give people access, I guess, to abortion

98
00:06:37,600 --> 00:06:38,600
clinics.

99
00:06:38,600 --> 00:06:42,120
But also, there are other things that gave people access to like churches.

100
00:06:42,120 --> 00:06:47,200
You know, there are a few radicals who sometimes were blocked churches and do harassing things

101
00:06:47,200 --> 00:06:48,200
like that.

102
00:06:48,200 --> 00:06:53,360
It's not real real common, but it has happened.

103
00:06:53,360 --> 00:06:58,880
And so supposedly this law was supposed fairly even handed.

104
00:06:58,880 --> 00:07:05,000
I had barely heard about it and not much has happened in the 30 years or so since it was

105
00:07:05,000 --> 00:07:06,000
passed.

106
00:07:06,000 --> 00:07:09,120
So why don't you bring us up to date and explain what face means?

107
00:07:09,120 --> 00:07:11,840
Yeah, I can give you a little bit of history on it.

108
00:07:11,840 --> 00:07:16,400
And then Steve has some some brand new data out that we were talking about the other day

109
00:07:16,400 --> 00:07:21,360
about how you'd be surprised how many churches and pro-life pregnancy centers are being vandalized

110
00:07:21,360 --> 00:07:27,360
and and abused and not picking up face charges as is available under the face act.

111
00:07:27,360 --> 00:07:31,840
But if you remember in the early pro-life movement back in the 80s and 90s, there were

112
00:07:31,840 --> 00:07:32,840
a lot of people.

113
00:07:32,840 --> 00:07:38,520
And as a matter of fact, there were 77,000 Christians arrested out at abortion clinics

114
00:07:38,520 --> 00:07:40,320
in the 80s and 90s.

115
00:07:40,320 --> 00:07:45,200
And for a nonviolent civil disobedience, they were simply sitting down at the doors of the

116
00:07:45,200 --> 00:07:50,000
abortion clinics doing an old fashioned sit in identifying with the babies and saying,

117
00:07:50,000 --> 00:07:52,640
if babies are going to die, we believe they're human.

118
00:07:52,640 --> 00:07:54,280
We believe their life is valuable.

119
00:07:54,280 --> 00:07:56,160
And we believe it to such an extent.

120
00:07:56,160 --> 00:07:59,640
We're willing to lay down our freedoms because of our beliefs.

121
00:07:59,640 --> 00:08:06,160
And so 77,000 some odd Christians were arrested and they were being very effective and abortion

122
00:08:06,160 --> 00:08:08,360
clinics were being closed down.

123
00:08:08,360 --> 00:08:12,400
And so the federal government had to shuffle around and figure out how do we stop these

124
00:08:12,400 --> 00:08:13,400
Christians?

125
00:08:13,400 --> 00:08:15,360
We want this, you know, baby killing to go on.

126
00:08:15,360 --> 00:08:18,120
We want to be able to have abortion on demand.

127
00:08:18,120 --> 00:08:22,920
And so the face bill was the product of that that scenario there.

128
00:08:22,920 --> 00:08:27,920
And to be fair, at the same time, it really, I think it's probably more because of the

129
00:08:27,920 --> 00:08:30,000
face act than the face act leading.

130
00:08:30,000 --> 00:08:31,440
There was some violence.

131
00:08:31,440 --> 00:08:35,760
There were some radical individuals that were not part of the mainstream pro-life movement.

132
00:08:35,760 --> 00:08:39,840
And you know, there were abortionists later on that were killed and there was violence

133
00:08:39,840 --> 00:08:46,360
and vandalism done at abortion clinics by again, a few radical rogue individuals, but

134
00:08:46,360 --> 00:08:49,120
not by mainstream Christians.

135
00:08:49,120 --> 00:08:53,840
But I think, you know, part of that is when you shut down the ability for the mainstream

136
00:08:53,840 --> 00:08:59,240
to respond in a peaceful manner, then what you inevitably do is radicalize those kind

137
00:08:59,240 --> 00:09:02,840
of on the extreme that have strong opinions or have been hurt by abortion.

138
00:09:02,840 --> 00:09:04,720
And now they feel like they have no voice.

139
00:09:04,720 --> 00:09:09,040
So they end up resorting to violence is, I think, the net effect.

140
00:09:09,040 --> 00:09:14,600
But like I said, Steve has some even breaking even in the last week, some statistics.

141
00:09:14,600 --> 00:09:16,920
So tell us about your esteem, your counsel.

142
00:09:16,920 --> 00:09:19,280
That sounds very impressive.

143
00:09:19,280 --> 00:09:21,440
You're just great here.

144
00:09:21,440 --> 00:09:27,880
You know, the Thomas More Society, as I said earlier, has a great reputation.

145
00:09:27,880 --> 00:09:29,600
Is it owned by the Catholic Church?

146
00:09:29,600 --> 00:09:35,200
I think of it as being Roman Catholic and the Catholics, of course, were the first ones

147
00:09:35,200 --> 00:09:41,240
to really stand up with the abortion issue when it became, well, I guess there was abortion

148
00:09:41,240 --> 00:09:43,400
before Roe v. Wade wasn't there.

149
00:09:43,400 --> 00:09:45,680
It just wasn't legal.

150
00:09:45,680 --> 00:09:53,360
And but abortion is certainly something in the last century.

151
00:09:53,360 --> 00:10:00,160
And so I'm assuming that you I should have probably asked you this off camera, but I

152
00:10:00,160 --> 00:10:05,320
think of the Thomas More Society as operating pro bono for these defendants.

153
00:10:05,320 --> 00:10:06,320
Exactly right.

154
00:10:06,320 --> 00:10:08,640
We're a public interest law firm.

155
00:10:08,640 --> 00:10:12,360
So we render our services, as you say, pro bono.

156
00:10:12,360 --> 00:10:16,080
And we concentrate a great deal in the pro life arena.

157
00:10:16,080 --> 00:10:22,560
So we are kind of the first line of defense when sidewalk counselors, as Paul alluded

158
00:10:22,560 --> 00:10:30,280
to, and folks involved in pro life efforts find themselves on the wrong end of the law.

159
00:10:30,280 --> 00:10:36,640
Unlike several public interest firms, we also work in the criminal arena, hence our defense

160
00:10:36,640 --> 00:10:37,640
of Paul.

161
00:10:37,640 --> 00:10:42,080
And by the way, Stephen, you mentioned that this is maybe an isolated case off camera.

162
00:10:42,080 --> 00:10:43,520
We were talking about it.

163
00:10:43,520 --> 00:10:48,880
In fact, there's a series of these criminal face cases brought by the weaponized Department

164
00:10:48,880 --> 00:10:55,280
of Justice in the wake of the Supreme Court's actions in overturning Roe against Wade in

165
00:10:55,280 --> 00:10:57,320
June of 2022.

166
00:10:57,320 --> 00:11:03,560
These kind of throw the book out of actions were unheard of previously.

167
00:11:03,560 --> 00:11:08,680
But as soon as the Supreme Court stood up and there was an actual action pushing back

168
00:11:08,680 --> 00:11:14,440
against the abortion lobby, suddenly it's Katie bar the door with regard to the Department

169
00:11:14,440 --> 00:11:20,160
of Justice and the FBI coming after pro lifers that had engaged, as Paul said, in nothing

170
00:11:20,160 --> 00:11:22,640
more than peaceful sit-ins.

171
00:11:22,640 --> 00:11:31,760
So you mentioned the brief history of face in the, what, 30 years or so leading up to

172
00:11:31,760 --> 00:11:35,160
the Dobs decision in 2022.

173
00:11:35,160 --> 00:11:40,840
Most of the litigation under face was brought in a civil context.

174
00:11:40,840 --> 00:11:46,880
The few criminal ones involved the more extreme cases where, for instance, an individual would

175
00:11:46,880 --> 00:11:53,560
weld himself to a car in front of an abortion clinic entrance, that sort of thing, right?

176
00:11:53,560 --> 00:11:58,760
But all of a sudden then come the Dobs decision and they're reaching back.

177
00:11:58,760 --> 00:12:04,160
In Paul's case, the incident occurred, as he said, in March of 2021.

178
00:12:04,160 --> 00:12:11,160
It wasn't until October 2022 after the Dobs decision that they swooped down and arrest

179
00:12:11,160 --> 00:12:13,080
him with guns drawn.

180
00:12:13,080 --> 00:12:18,280
So there's such a clearly political nature to these prosecutions.

181
00:12:18,280 --> 00:12:24,440
I think persecutions is a fair descriptor of the way they've conducted themselves.

182
00:12:24,440 --> 00:12:30,960
But as you alluded to also, Stephen, the face act covers not only abortion clinics and freedom

183
00:12:30,960 --> 00:12:36,840
of access to the clinic's offering so-called reproductive health services, but also access

184
00:12:36,840 --> 00:12:41,960
to churches and pro-life pregnancy resource centers.

185
00:12:41,960 --> 00:12:45,720
And it also protects, by the way, the facility itself.

186
00:12:45,720 --> 00:12:50,440
So if you bomb an abortion clinic instead of just blocking entrance, then you can be

187
00:12:50,440 --> 00:12:52,520
prosecuted in an interface.

188
00:12:52,520 --> 00:12:57,880
By the same token, if you fire bomb a church or a pregnancy resource center, you can be

189
00:12:57,880 --> 00:12:58,880
prosecuted.

190
00:12:58,880 --> 00:12:59,880
And this has happened.

191
00:12:59,880 --> 00:13:01,920
And there's times.

192
00:13:01,920 --> 00:13:08,200
I only know what I see on the news, but I've seen pictures of graffiti on the wall, bombing.

193
00:13:08,200 --> 00:13:09,880
Sometimes windows are blown out.

194
00:13:09,880 --> 00:13:11,880
I don't think anyone was killed.

195
00:13:11,880 --> 00:13:17,680
And if I remember correctly, there were almost no charges brought as if they couldn't find

196
00:13:17,680 --> 00:13:19,040
out who did it.

197
00:13:19,040 --> 00:13:20,040
And it happened.

198
00:13:20,040 --> 00:13:27,560
In the case, since the announcement of the Dobs decision, there have been over 100 pro-life

199
00:13:27,560 --> 00:13:32,840
pregnancy resource centers that have been attacked and over 300 churches.

200
00:13:32,840 --> 00:13:39,680
The Family Research Council just released last week a report of violence against churches

201
00:13:39,680 --> 00:13:48,280
and acts of hostility generally detailing in the calendar year 2023 alone, 315 instances

202
00:13:48,280 --> 00:13:55,480
of attacks on churches, virtually zero arrests for face violations in those things.

203
00:13:55,480 --> 00:14:01,040
And if there's any action taken at all, it's by the local authorities, not the feds.

204
00:14:01,040 --> 00:14:06,040
They seem to have no interest in protecting the churches that theoretically are equal

205
00:14:06,040 --> 00:14:07,760
to the abortion clinics.

206
00:14:07,760 --> 00:14:11,080
So why did they target Paul Vaughn?

207
00:14:11,080 --> 00:14:15,560
Because by his own description just now, this happened a year and a half before he wasn't

208
00:14:15,560 --> 00:14:18,200
arrested.

209
00:14:18,200 --> 00:14:22,800
If I remember right, you told Mike Huckabee that you had a nice conversation with the

210
00:14:22,800 --> 00:14:29,120
police, nothing unusual, when they arrested you, I guess at first, you didn't even connect

211
00:14:29,120 --> 00:14:31,360
the dots and figure out what they were coming.

212
00:14:31,360 --> 00:14:36,720
So why did they target you?

213
00:14:36,720 --> 00:14:39,400
That's a great question.

214
00:14:39,400 --> 00:14:41,720
I'm still waiting to find the answer.

215
00:14:41,720 --> 00:14:48,400
I really think it's simply, Stephen, God moves in ways we don't understand.

216
00:14:48,400 --> 00:14:52,920
I look at it and there's no logical reason for me to be involved in this.

217
00:14:52,920 --> 00:14:55,560
I didn't break any rules, I didn't break the law.

218
00:14:55,560 --> 00:14:57,520
I was very careful, I've told the story.

219
00:14:57,520 --> 00:15:03,160
We have a three-year-old, as well as three-year-old this coming month that was due at the time.

220
00:15:03,160 --> 00:15:07,480
And so I was very cautious and very mindful of the coming birth that was due within a

221
00:15:07,480 --> 00:15:09,400
week of that event.

222
00:15:09,400 --> 00:15:14,000
And so there's just no logical reason that I should be involved in this other than God

223
00:15:14,000 --> 00:15:19,360
wanted to bring me in and give me an opportunity for some sanctification, I guess, and maybe

224
00:15:19,360 --> 00:15:23,120
be able to tell a story a little bit to some folks about what He does and about abortion

225
00:15:23,120 --> 00:15:25,200
and just the goodness of our Lord.

226
00:15:25,200 --> 00:15:27,800
So that's the only thing I can think of.

227
00:15:27,800 --> 00:15:30,760
There's nothing in this world that says I should be involved in this case.

228
00:15:30,760 --> 00:15:38,760
Well, Steve, talk to us about the legalities of this because if I remember correctly, the

229
00:15:38,760 --> 00:15:47,360
fine is a half year for the FACE Act violation, but there's something with a conspiracy where

230
00:15:47,360 --> 00:15:49,120
it became a felony.

231
00:15:49,120 --> 00:15:50,120
Explain about that.

232
00:15:50,120 --> 00:15:58,080
Yeah, as you say, under FACE, a nonviolent first offense, which this is qualified for,

233
00:15:58,080 --> 00:16:01,040
can be sentenced up to six months in prison.

234
00:16:01,040 --> 00:16:06,240
And incidentally, the whole concept behind FACE, it prohibits acts of force, there were

235
00:16:06,240 --> 00:16:11,560
none here, threats of force, there were none here, and physical obstruction.

236
00:16:11,560 --> 00:16:14,240
Paul didn't physically obstruct anything.

237
00:16:14,240 --> 00:16:16,480
Even the prosecutors concede that.

238
00:16:16,480 --> 00:16:20,160
There is no allegation, there is no evidence that Paul ever blocked anything.

239
00:16:20,160 --> 00:16:22,000
That should have been the end of the story.

240
00:16:22,000 --> 00:16:28,000
But instead, what they've done, again, only since the overturning of Roe against Wade,

241
00:16:28,000 --> 00:16:34,880
is they've extended the prosecutions under FACE to claim that folks like Paul aided and

242
00:16:34,880 --> 00:16:38,320
abetted those that actually did obstruct.

243
00:16:38,320 --> 00:16:44,600
And then, as you alluded to, they bring in for the first time ever a felony conspiracy

244
00:16:44,600 --> 00:16:51,000
against rights charge, which carries up to 10 years in the federal penitentiary.

245
00:16:51,000 --> 00:16:57,400
10 years for conspiring to save babies or to pray and sing hymns outside an abortion clinic.

246
00:16:57,400 --> 00:16:59,440
It is just extraordinary.

247
00:16:59,440 --> 00:17:04,080
It is totally contrary to all the principles of criminal law.

248
00:17:04,080 --> 00:17:09,080
I think that the United States Constitution stands for, respecting as the First Amendment

249
00:17:09,080 --> 00:17:12,600
embodies that right of peaceful civil disobedience.

250
00:17:12,600 --> 00:17:19,600
You know, and that's the scary thing to me is that we have officials in what Donald Trump

251
00:17:19,600 --> 00:17:26,840
called the swamp, who are using the law to weaponize, and we're not here to talk politics,

252
00:17:26,840 --> 00:17:28,920
but this is what's happening to Donald Trump.

253
00:17:28,920 --> 00:17:34,360
You know, where they took a loan where people didn't lose one penny, where the people who

254
00:17:34,360 --> 00:17:41,040
made the loan said they'd make it again, but they were able to use that and then levy

255
00:17:41,040 --> 00:17:44,680
a $355 million fine.

256
00:17:44,680 --> 00:17:47,280
I mean, it boggles the mind.

257
00:17:47,280 --> 00:17:51,280
And to think that if they can do it to Donald Trump or Paul Vaughn, they can do it to any

258
00:17:51,280 --> 00:17:52,780
of us.

259
00:17:52,780 --> 00:17:58,600
And at the risk of inserting my own little trivial story, I had a situation with the

260
00:17:58,600 --> 00:18:03,500
state of Florida, which is a red state, but we were audited for sales tax, and we've always

261
00:18:03,500 --> 00:18:05,760
been very careful to pay our taxes.

262
00:18:05,760 --> 00:18:10,440
We found out there was an obscure law that if you get subscriptions, you're supposed

263
00:18:10,440 --> 00:18:16,080
to pay a use tax, which is like a sales tax from another state.

264
00:18:16,080 --> 00:18:22,120
And we got, I don't know, seven or 10 professional journals, you know, for the staff, and they

265
00:18:22,120 --> 00:18:23,720
caught us.

266
00:18:23,720 --> 00:18:25,480
And I said, we didn't know about this law.

267
00:18:25,480 --> 00:18:30,480
My CPA said they put it on the book so they can catch you in an audit.

268
00:18:30,480 --> 00:18:36,840
And they were fairly expensive subscriptions, and it came to like $7,000 or $8,000 over

269
00:18:36,840 --> 00:18:39,400
a period of five years.

270
00:18:39,400 --> 00:18:41,600
They multiplied it by five years.

271
00:18:41,600 --> 00:18:48,320
We had to pay a fine over magazine subscription use tax.

272
00:18:48,320 --> 00:18:51,200
And I thought, we're so careful to follow the law.

273
00:18:51,200 --> 00:18:54,280
I said, where do you send the money in Tallahassee?

274
00:18:54,280 --> 00:18:56,440
I mean, I just thought it was ludicrous.

275
00:18:56,440 --> 00:19:02,040
Now my little case pales by comparison.

276
00:19:02,040 --> 00:19:06,960
The only reason I bring it up is that I have seen with my own eyes that I'm vulnerable

277
00:19:06,960 --> 00:19:11,160
for something that I would have never in the world thought that the state of Florida would

278
00:19:11,160 --> 00:19:14,760
come in and fine us over something so trivial.

279
00:19:14,760 --> 00:19:19,920
And I think that it's important at a lot of different levels that you win this case.

280
00:19:19,920 --> 00:19:28,960
But part of it is so that the lawmakers put in place actual punishment from bureaucrats

281
00:19:28,960 --> 00:19:35,040
who weaponize our laws against ordinary Americans.

282
00:19:35,040 --> 00:19:41,480
We do need laws to take care of the criminals, but we don't want to criminalize just normal

283
00:19:41,480 --> 00:19:45,480
Americans doing the kinds of things we do day to day.

284
00:19:45,480 --> 00:19:51,760
So as we wrap up the podcast, I want to give each of you an opportunity to make a final

285
00:19:51,760 --> 00:19:56,200
statement and also tell me and my viewers what we can do to help.

286
00:19:56,200 --> 00:19:59,840
And I know it's going to start with prayer and prayer is powerful.

287
00:19:59,840 --> 00:20:05,280
We believe that the unseen world is more real than the world that we see.

288
00:20:05,280 --> 00:20:09,480
We know there's power in prayer, but we can't just pray and do nothing.

289
00:20:09,480 --> 00:20:12,160
And my doing this podcast is my way to do something.

290
00:20:12,160 --> 00:20:15,960
But I want to motivate people.

291
00:20:15,960 --> 00:20:19,400
Can we donate to the Thomas Moore Society?

292
00:20:19,400 --> 00:20:22,040
Can we write letters to the governor?

293
00:20:22,040 --> 00:20:23,840
What can we do?

294
00:20:23,840 --> 00:20:29,800
Maybe we need to talk about this among the people in our churches and our sphere of influence.

295
00:20:29,800 --> 00:20:35,360
I want to hear from you what we can do so that we have a takeaway from this very important

296
00:20:35,360 --> 00:20:37,440
and very interesting podcast.

297
00:20:37,440 --> 00:20:42,880
Steve has some legal things.

298
00:20:42,880 --> 00:20:43,880
I know he can share it.

299
00:20:43,880 --> 00:20:45,760
I'll just share my art, Stephen.

300
00:20:45,760 --> 00:20:50,960
I think the very first thing we can do, just like I think your case points out as well,

301
00:20:50,960 --> 00:20:57,160
is we are a nation of people and we have what we consider a national character.

302
00:20:57,160 --> 00:21:02,720
And so the very first thing we can do is examine our own heart and ask, like the disciples,

303
00:21:02,720 --> 00:21:07,600
as Lord is it me in relation to Judas and what was going to betray him?

304
00:21:07,600 --> 00:21:12,920
It's so easy to point the fingers at Washington, D.C. or the deep state or someone else.

305
00:21:12,920 --> 00:21:19,960
But I was struck in what God showed me through this trial is that of 150 jurors to seat the

306
00:21:19,960 --> 00:21:26,240
final jury that we had, the level of—and they're not bad people.

307
00:21:26,240 --> 00:21:31,000
They're not—you know, liberty requires work and effort.

308
00:21:31,000 --> 00:21:33,000
And we have to be diligent.

309
00:21:33,000 --> 00:21:36,640
As American people, we have an obligation to be educated about the system that we live

310
00:21:36,640 --> 00:21:37,800
under.

311
00:21:37,800 --> 00:21:41,520
And if we don't understand the laws and the rules and if we don't understand what a jury

312
00:21:41,520 --> 00:21:48,520
is for, then the jury is that important safety valve that check against tyranny.

313
00:21:48,520 --> 00:21:52,000
And in this case, none of the jurors understood that.

314
00:21:52,000 --> 00:21:56,080
And it was evident, you know, across the board.

315
00:21:56,080 --> 00:22:01,160
One of the lawyers asked, you know, was talking about, you know, before this trial, before

316
00:22:01,160 --> 00:22:04,320
there's a guilty verdict, everyone is presumed innocent.

317
00:22:04,320 --> 00:22:05,320
And he talked for a few minutes.

318
00:22:05,320 --> 00:22:09,640
He said, now, if the judge made you make a decision right now, what would your—what

319
00:22:09,640 --> 00:22:10,640
would your verdict be?

320
00:22:10,640 --> 00:22:12,080
Guilty or not guilty?

321
00:22:12,080 --> 00:22:16,200
And out of 150, I think, well, actually, there's probably 80 in the room at that point.

322
00:22:16,200 --> 00:22:19,800
One person out of 80 said they're not guilty.

323
00:22:19,800 --> 00:22:21,880
They haven't had a trial yet, right?

324
00:22:21,880 --> 00:22:23,280
So the presumption of innocence.

325
00:22:23,280 --> 00:22:26,200
And even something in their mind.

326
00:22:26,200 --> 00:22:32,080
And I say that just kind of speaking more to the moral character of our nation and just

327
00:22:32,080 --> 00:22:37,400
our responsibility to one another, our responsibility to God.

328
00:22:37,400 --> 00:22:43,080
We have become a comfortable people, a people, I'd say, of convenience, not of conviction.

329
00:22:43,080 --> 00:22:46,480
And so I would start, you know, the judgment starts in the house of the Lord.

330
00:22:46,480 --> 00:22:51,720
And I would ask the church to certainly be praying, but also examine our own lives as

331
00:22:51,720 --> 00:22:57,880
a people, as church members and as members of America and responsible to one another.

332
00:22:57,880 --> 00:22:58,880
How are we living?

333
00:22:58,880 --> 00:23:01,080
And what are we ordering our life by?

334
00:23:01,080 --> 00:23:05,640
Are we going after—is our life structured by the same things as those people outside

335
00:23:05,640 --> 00:23:06,640
the church?

336
00:23:06,640 --> 00:23:11,440
Are we looking for, you know, money and power and greed and influence and those things?

337
00:23:11,440 --> 00:23:13,600
Are we looking to serve God?

338
00:23:13,600 --> 00:23:16,680
And so to me, that's what I'm seeing in this.

339
00:23:16,680 --> 00:23:18,800
And that was, I think, long-term solutions.

340
00:23:18,800 --> 00:23:23,160
I'm thinking, you know, 10, 20 year plan here, not next week and not certainly by the

341
00:23:23,160 --> 00:23:24,160
end of the trial.

342
00:23:24,160 --> 00:23:27,720
But that's one thing that I feel like God's showing me and kind of what's been on my

343
00:23:27,720 --> 00:23:31,160
heart and how I'm praying for these things.

344
00:23:31,160 --> 00:23:33,160
Well said.

345
00:23:33,160 --> 00:23:35,040
Steve, can you add to that?

346
00:23:35,040 --> 00:23:40,640
And also, can this thing or will this go to the Supreme Court and get overturned?

347
00:23:40,640 --> 00:23:44,800
Yeah, let me answer that last question first, if I may, Stephen.

348
00:23:44,800 --> 00:23:47,960
We don't have sentencing here until July the 2nd.

349
00:23:47,960 --> 00:23:53,640
We will immediately appeal, take it to the Sixth Circuit Court of Appeals in Cincinnati,

350
00:23:53,640 --> 00:23:57,640
and we're fully prepared to go to the U.S. Supreme Court if necessary.

351
00:23:57,640 --> 00:24:02,640
We believe the FACE Act is unconstitutional, never should have been adopted in the first

352
00:24:02,640 --> 00:24:03,640
place.

353
00:24:03,640 --> 00:24:09,080
It's beyond the authority of the federal government to operate in the local criminal

354
00:24:09,080 --> 00:24:10,080
sphere.

355
00:24:10,080 --> 00:24:12,800
They did this on the pretext of interstate commerce.

356
00:24:12,800 --> 00:24:17,320
Well, nobody crosses state lines to go get an ultrasound these days, right?

357
00:24:17,320 --> 00:24:21,840
Once abortion is illegal, there's no basis for FACE, and arguably there was no basis

358
00:24:21,840 --> 00:24:23,200
to begin with.

359
00:24:23,200 --> 00:24:28,960
But as to what we can do, I would put it in three simple phrases, dovetailing with what

360
00:24:28,960 --> 00:24:32,520
Paul said first, of course, bow down.

361
00:24:32,520 --> 00:24:38,200
As Paul has reminded us throughout the proceedings here, even those folks that are in authority

362
00:24:38,200 --> 00:24:44,880
over us in this trial ultimately answer to the judge of all the earth who will indeed

363
00:24:44,880 --> 00:24:46,120
do right.

364
00:24:46,120 --> 00:24:51,320
So we as a people need to be repenting and seeking the face of God in the middle of this.

365
00:24:51,320 --> 00:24:58,200
I think it's beyond dispute that we are now a nation under judgment, the foundations are

366
00:24:58,200 --> 00:24:59,200
being shaken.

367
00:24:59,200 --> 00:25:07,320
It is an opportunity we've been given to return to the Lord rather than seeking respite and

368
00:25:07,320 --> 00:25:09,600
resolution in man.

369
00:25:09,600 --> 00:25:13,720
Secondly, we need to stand up.

370
00:25:13,720 --> 00:25:17,120
We have as a people, as Paul said, grown complacent.

371
00:25:17,120 --> 00:25:22,200
We've watched as the Department of Justice and other government entities have run roughshod

372
00:25:22,200 --> 00:25:27,960
over the fundamental rights of our fellows, like Donald Trump you mentioned earlier.

373
00:25:27,960 --> 00:25:35,520
And it ultimately falls on us to take responsibility and to ultimately speak out.

374
00:25:35,520 --> 00:25:40,200
So not only can we do, as you were saying, Steven, educate our circle of friends and

375
00:25:40,200 --> 00:25:45,640
spear of influence, but as a matter of fact, as we sit here today, bills have been introduced

376
00:25:45,640 --> 00:25:51,240
in Congress to repeal face, one in the House of Representatives, one in the Senate.

377
00:25:51,240 --> 00:25:56,760
We can be contacting our congressional delegations and urging them to sign on and make this bill

378
00:25:56,760 --> 00:25:57,880
happen.

379
00:25:57,880 --> 00:26:01,600
It started with Congress, it ought to end with Congress.

380
00:26:01,600 --> 00:26:05,600
But we would also appreciate, of course, the prayers and even financial support as we

381
00:26:05,600 --> 00:26:06,600
go forward.

382
00:26:06,600 --> 00:26:13,840
But you can reach our organization at thomasmoressociety.org.

383
00:26:13,840 --> 00:26:16,120
Thanks very much for the opportunity, by the way.

384
00:26:16,120 --> 00:26:19,360
And thank you to both of you for being on my podcast.

385
00:26:19,360 --> 00:26:25,000
And this afternoon, I happen to know both of our senators from Florida, and I'm going

386
00:26:25,000 --> 00:26:27,160
to write them an email.

387
00:26:27,160 --> 00:26:33,120
And I'm going to do it myself, and I'm going to make my first contribution to Thomas More

388
00:26:33,120 --> 00:26:34,120
Society.

389
00:26:34,120 --> 00:26:41,320
And I think that it's wonderful that there are a handful of legal organizations that

390
00:26:41,320 --> 00:26:47,920
will defend our rights, which is so important because ordinary people, even people with

391
00:26:47,920 --> 00:26:53,680
good jobs cannot afford huge, huge legal fees.

392
00:26:53,680 --> 00:26:57,840
And Donald Trump can afford it more than most of us.

393
00:26:57,840 --> 00:27:00,120
But they're trying to make that possible.

394
00:27:00,120 --> 00:27:05,600
Impossible for him, and you're right.

395
00:27:05,600 --> 00:27:09,080
It's a very, very serious thing that's going on in our country.

396
00:27:09,080 --> 00:27:11,120
We need revival in this country.

397
00:27:11,120 --> 00:27:13,120
But we also need to stand up.

398
00:27:13,120 --> 00:27:14,600
We still have rights.

399
00:27:14,600 --> 00:27:18,000
Our rights, we have not lost our rights.

400
00:27:18,000 --> 00:27:20,560
We are not a socialist government yet.

401
00:27:20,560 --> 00:27:25,560
We're just a government that is leaning in that direction in ways that none of us, when

402
00:27:25,560 --> 00:27:28,400
we were children, would have ever thought would happen.

403
00:27:28,400 --> 00:27:37,920
So I just commend both of you for your fortitude, for being so strong, and for being so articulate

404
00:27:37,920 --> 00:27:38,920
today.

405
00:27:38,920 --> 00:27:43,040
I just encourage people to share this with others, especially if you know people are

406
00:27:43,040 --> 00:27:46,720
concerned about these kinds of rights or they're involved with the pro-life movement.

407
00:27:46,720 --> 00:27:48,760
We need to get the word out.

408
00:27:48,760 --> 00:27:53,760
And I thank you for watching, and tune in again for another episode of the STRANG Report.

409
00:27:53,760 --> 00:27:56,120
Thank you to both of my guests for your time.

410
00:27:56,120 --> 00:27:59,800
We had a little bit of trouble setting it up, and it finally happened.

411
00:27:59,800 --> 00:28:00,880
Thank you again.

412
00:28:00,880 --> 00:28:01,880
God bless you.

413
00:28:01,880 --> 00:28:02,880
Thank you, Steve.

414
00:28:02,880 --> 00:28:03,880
Thank you, Stephen.

415
00:28:03,880 --> 00:28:15,360
Do you ever feel discouraged?

416
00:28:15,360 --> 00:28:16,800
Do you need hope?

417
00:28:16,800 --> 00:28:21,960
The world is so upside down that even if you believe there is power in the Holy Spirit,

418
00:28:21,960 --> 00:28:28,600
you need to be reminded that greater is He that is within us than He is in the world.

419
00:28:28,600 --> 00:28:33,960
My new book, Spirit-led Living in an Upside Down World, was written to give you hope,

420
00:28:33,960 --> 00:28:39,460
to remind you of things you know, to explain spiritual truths that you didn't understand

421
00:28:39,460 --> 00:28:41,840
or may be forgotten.

422
00:28:41,840 --> 00:28:47,360
I draw in my decades of covering the worldwide move of the Holy Spirit to give you examples

423
00:28:47,360 --> 00:28:53,760
and stories of great men and women of God, from Jack Hafer to Catherine Coleman, and

424
00:28:53,760 --> 00:29:00,240
many others explaining spiritual gifts and telling stories of victory in the face of

425
00:29:00,240 --> 00:29:02,640
trials and temptations.

426
00:29:02,640 --> 00:29:06,160
I wrote this book for you, and I want you to read it.

427
00:29:06,160 --> 00:29:10,600
It's easy to read, with lots of practical stories to help you.

428
00:29:10,600 --> 00:29:13,920
It is not a theological treatise on the Holy Spirit.

429
00:29:13,920 --> 00:29:19,720
In a way, it's a self-help book, looking at the spiritual side of life.

430
00:29:19,720 --> 00:29:24,860
So if you long for more of God and to experience the power of the Holy Spirit and the power

431
00:29:24,860 --> 00:29:31,840
to rebuke the spiritual attacks in your life and boldness to stand for God, when the cancel

432
00:29:31,840 --> 00:29:37,820
culture wants you to sit down and shut up, then my book, Spirit-led Living in an Upside

433
00:29:37,820 --> 00:29:40,160
Down World, is for you.

434
00:29:40,160 --> 00:29:48,520
You can find the book wherever Christian books are sold, including Amazon.com or Mychorismashop.com.

435
00:29:48,520 --> 00:29:55,960
Remember, the Holy Spirit is here to help us now and for all the days ahead, no matter

436
00:29:55,960 --> 00:29:58,960
how upside down the world gets.

437
00:29:58,960 --> 00:30:12,000
Enjoy the book and God bless you.