Standing Up For Your Beliefs And Not Backing Down Regardless Of The Cost

Remembering principled individuals and groups as opposed to the cowards

You can stand me up at the gates of hell. But I won't back down. - Tom Petty

Despite the hordes of cowards, there are still courageous people

We sadly tolerate all manner of perversion and flawed ideology without batting an eye. Past and present examples of courage exist for us to emulate. From many examples I condensed a few to demonstrate and applaud their courage.

Who was he?

The true identity of Tank Man, also known as the Unknown Protester, has never been confirmed. He was named as 19-year-old student Wang Wei Lin by the Sunday Express, but again there's no firm evidence this is his real name.

What happened to him?

Tank Man's fate is every bit as uncertain as his name. There have been conflicting reports of his survival, imprisonment and execution dating back to the day of the protest, but a few pieces of information are worth considering.

June 4, 1989, was the Tiananmen Square Massacre. Yuri Bezmenov has an excellent post with personal insights and reflections about it.

Standing against oppression and tyranny

Throughout history, men and women have drawn a line in the sand against oppression and tyranny. Maybe the most famous, the Declaration of Independence:

The unanimous Declaration of the thirteen united States of America, When in the Course of human events, it becomes necessary for one people to dissolve the political bands which have connected them with another, and to assume among the powers of the earth, the separate and equal station to which the Laws of Nature and of Nature's God entitle them, a decent respect to the opinions of mankind requires that they should declare the causes which impel them to the separation.

We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness.--That to secure these rights, Governments are instituted among Men, deriving their just powers from the consent of the governed, --That whenever any Form of Government becomes destructive of these ends, it is the Right of the People to alter or to abolish it, and to institute new Government, laying its foundation on such principles and organizing its powers in such form, as to them shall seem most likely to effect their Safety and Happiness. Prudence, indeed, will dictate that Governments long established should not be changed for light and transient causes; and accordingly all experience hath shewn, that mankind are more disposed to suffer, while evils are sufferable, than to right themselves by abolishing the forms to which they are accustomed. But when a long train of abuses and usurpations, pursuing invariably the same Object evinces a design to reduce them under absolute Despotism, it is their right, it is their duty, to throw off such Government, and to provide new Guards for their future security.--Such has been the patient sufferance of these Colonies; and such is now the necessity which constrains them to alter their former Systems of Government. The history of the present King of Great Britain is a history of repeated injuries and usurpations, all having in direct object the establishment of an absolute Tyranny over these States. To prove this, let Facts be submitted to a candid world.

Real nuns standing up for their faith and principles

The Little Sisters of the Poor History

Saint Jeanne Jugan, the founder of the order, was born during the French Revolution. As a young woman she worked in a local hospital.

My little ones, never forget that the poor are Our Lord; in caring for the poor say to yourself: This is for my Jesus – what a great grace! - Saint Jeanne Jugan

One night in the winter of 1839, she could not resist the sight of a blind, paralyzed old woman out in the cold with no one to care for her. Jeanne carried the old woman home and placed her in her own bed. From that night on, Jeanne Jugan gave her life to God and to the elderly of the whole world!

The work developed quickly. More old women were brought to her doorstep. A group of young women came to help Jeanne; together they cared for the elderly as if they were their own grandmothers. Giving the best place to the old women, they slept on the attic floor.

By 1841 the “family” of old women and their caregivers outgrew the small apartment and moved into a larger house.

The little group of pious women began to take the form of a religious community, calling themselves the Servants of the Poor. Jeanne was elected superior. In 1844 the group changed their name to Sisters of the Poor to better reflect their desire to be sisters to the elderly in the Lord’s name. In 1849 the popular name Little Sisters of the Poor was definitively adopted.

The first Little Sisters landed on American soil in 1868. Thirteen homes were established in the United States in the first four years.

LITTLE SISTERS OF THE POOR SAINTS PETER AND PAUL HOME v. PENNSYLVANIA

• The mockingly named Affordable Care Act had a provision all employers with more than 50 employees had to provide “preventive care and screenings” without “any cost sharing requirements” which included contraceptives.

• The Obama administration in its benevolence created a workaround whereby religious nonprofits that objected to the mandate would send in a signed form saying that they objected to covering contraception in their insurance plans.

The Little Sisters held that "even signing the government-mandated form would be 'cooperating with evil.” They called it a "permission slip" that could allow someone else to provide contraceptives.

Don't mess with nuns!

The state of Pennsylvania sued the federal government to take away the Little Sisters’ religious exemption and order that the Little Sisters must comply with the federal mandate (not a state mandate) or pay tens of millions of dollars in fines.

From Beckett Law, who defended the sisters:

• Pennsylvania never challenged the Obama Administration for creating much larger exceptions for secular corporations—exceptions that covered tens of millions more people than the religious exemption. 

• On July 12, 2019, the Third Circuit ruled against the Little Sisters.

• On October 1, 2019, the Little Sisters of the Poor asked the Supreme Court to protect them from the HHS contraceptive mandate again and end their legal battle once and for all.

• On January 17, 2020, the Supreme Court agreed to review the Third Circuit’s decision in Little Sisters of the Poor v. Commonwealth of Pennsylvania. Oral argument took place on May 6, 2020.

On July 8, 2020, the Supreme Court ruled 7-2 in favor of the Little Sisters of the Poor, allowing them to continue serving the elderly poor and dying without threat of millions of dollars in fines.

Reverend Martin Luther King Jr.

I say to you today, my friends, so even though we face the difficulties of today and tomorrow, I still have a dream. It is a dream deeply rooted in the American dream.…I have a dream that my four little children will one day live in a nation where they will not be judged by the color of their skin but by the content of their character. I have a dream that…one day right there in Alabama, little black boys and black girls will be able to join hands with little white boys and white girls as sisters and brothers. - Martin Luther King Jr. August 28, 1963, at the Lincoln Memorial

This was his whole purpose and why he was ultimately assassinated. He marched and was arrested. His house had been bombed with his family in it! He had been shot at, beaten and stabbed. Because he believed everyone ought to be treated equally, without regard to color!

Assassination attempt in Harlem

• The first attempt on King's life was on Sept. 20, 1958, when he was stabbed by Izola Ware Curry, a mentally ill black woman in Harlem while he signed copies of his book, Stride Toward Freedom, at Blumstein’s Department Store, with a seven-inch steel letter opener into the upper left side of his chest.

Had Dr. King sneezed or coughed, the weapon would have penetrated the aorta.… He was just a sneeze away from death. (Papers 4:499n).

Had Dr. King died all his other accomplishments would have never happened!

Turning the other cheek

In Birmingham, Alabama September 28th, 1962, Rev. King had a man attack him on stage.

From Kazan Today:

In the sixth row that day sat Roy James a 6-foot 2 inch, 200-pound white man, who stood out because of his color but also because he was wearing a casual white T-shirt.

James went after Dr. King and kept punching him rapid fire as the audience screamed in horror.

As people rushed to the stage, there was an instant when Dr. King was able to stand and face James. As James got ready to hit Dr. King again, the civil rights leader dropped his hands and looked his assailant in the eyes.

Dr. King was bleeding profusely from the punches, his lips and face rapidly swelling and his ears, neck and back were aching from punches that hit him there.

James anticipated these black men would beat him to a pulp. But immediately Dr. King’s voice rang out, “Don’t touch him,” and then again, “Don’t touch him. We have to pray for him.” And no one harmed James, instead they prayed for him.

As they prayed, Dr. King assured James he wouldn’t be harmed. Then he took James to a private room and the two men calmly spoke.

Afterward, Dr. King declined to press assault charges. But James was still prosecuted and served 30 days in jail and paid a $25 fine.

What black Americans endured mostly in the South in his lifetime

Courtesy Mondadori Archive via Getty

• Had to use “black only” bathrooms.

• Were not allowed to eat in “whites only” restaurants.

• Were not allowed to stay in “whites only” hotels.

• Were expected to step off the sidewalk and avert their eyes if a white person was walking by.

• Were not permitted to attend school or college with whites.

• The black entertainers were allowed to play in white clubs but had to come and go through the back door or the kitchen.

Clearly no longer an outrageous situation in allegedly “overtly racist” America today!

Rev. King would be confused and heartbroken at current America

A very few examples:

• Affirmative Action, where you get preference based on race and gender, not ability.

• Dorms and graduations at colleges that are “black only” initiated by blacks themselves!

• An off-campus housing co-op for University of California, Berkeley students bans white people from entering common spaces to “avoid white violence” — sparking criticism that the policy inflames racial tensions.

• The five-story, 30-room “Person of Color Theme House” near the school requires students to declare their race when signing in and to announce when they’re bringing white guests in to the building, according to house rules leaked on Reddit.com.

• After protesters at a Washington state college called for a day without white people, a biology professor says he no longer feels safe on campus.

• A very troubling Supreme Court ruling regarding Alabama that according to Justice Kavanaugh who sided with the 5 -4 majority, redistricting done via race-based criteria does not violate the US Constitution.

• Part of Justice Thomas's 48-page dissenting opinion:

The court's decision has turned Section 2 — the part of the Voting Rights Act that bans gerrymandering based on race — into "nothing more than a racial entitlement to roughly proportional control of elective offices — limited only by feasibility — wherever different racial groups consistently prefer different candidates."

Thomas said the Voting Rights Act doesn't require Alabama "intentionally redraw its longstanding congressional districts so that black voters can control a number of seats roughly proportional to the black share of the State's population."

"If it did, the Constitution would not permit it," he wrote.

While sports teams fold to the “pride” and “trans” agenda, some athletes have stood by their beliefs

Philadelphia Flyers hockey player Ivan Provorov refused to wear an LGBT jersey during practice because he is a practicing member of the Russian Orthodox Church.

I respect everybody and I respect everyone's choices. My choice is I'm going to stay true to my religion. - Ivan Provorov

To the Philadelphia Flyers credit and head coach John Tortorella, they backed him up and said there was not even a thought to prevent him from playing in the game.

The organization has sent out a release on how we felt about it. He’s being true to himself and his religion. That is one thing I respect about him. He is always true to himself. - Flyer head coach John Tortorella

Athletes who risked or lost millions instead of getting a shot

Thousands of Americans have lost their jobs over refusing the shot. Totally illegal according to the FDA rules about experimental drugs, what they contain and the ability to refuse. Even if they already had the Covid, which according to all accepted science meant you had a natural immunity and did not need a vaccine. They all deserve justice for the outrage done to them. Here are athletes with millions of dollars at stake who chose to do the same.

Jonathan Isaac of Orlando Magic

Courtesy jonisaac_01/Instagram

Jonathan Isaac did an interview with Rolling Stone where shockingly, he was “badly misrepresented.”

Speaking to Shannon Bream of Fox News:

I am not anti-vax, I’m not anti-medicine, I am not anti-science.

But with that being said, it is my belief that the vaccine status of every person should be their own choice. Completely up to them without bullying, without being pressured, without being forced into doing so. I’m not ashamed to say that I’m uncomfortable with taking the vaccine at this time, he added.

I believe that what I’m saying is rational. And it’s free…We live in the land of the free and the home of the brave and we have the opportunity and the platform to say what it is that we feel that is right.

I’m taking that right to do so, not just for me, but for all of those people who feel like they don’t have a voice.

I believe that we’re entering a period in time where the government is setting a precedent that in light of any emergency, your personal autonomy, your religious freedom and your freedom as a whole becomes negotiable.

 At this point in time, it really does drive home that my trust is in Jesus.

Johnson was also the lone NBA player to stand for the National Anthem after the Covid break

Courtesy Ashley Landis/AP

Johnson said that he doesn’t think “putting that shirt on and kneeling went hand-in-hand with supporting Black lives.”

For me Black lives are supported through the gospel. All lives are supported through the gospel,” he said. “We all have things that we do wrong and sometimes it gets to a place that we’re pointing fingers at who’s wrong is worst. Or who’s wrong is seen, so I feel like the Bible tells us that we all fall short of God’s glory. That will help bring us closer together and get past skin color. And get past anything that’s on the surface and doesn’t really get into the hearts or men and women.”

Refusing the shot Kyrie Irving was risking almost $200 million

Courtesy kyrieirving/Instagram

From Sportscasting:

The Brooklyn Nets told Irving they would not welcome him to the team on a part-time basis. With New York City mandating vaccination for people using public gyms — including Brooklyn’s Barclays Center and Madison Square Garden in Manhattan — that renders Irving ineligible for 43 of the team’s 82 games.

The NBA and National Basketball Players Association earlier agreed not to pay players for games in which they are ineligible, using 1/91.6 of a player’s salary as the baseline per game. Given Irving’s $34,916,200 salary for 2021–22, that is nearly $381,200 per game and almost $16.4 million for the 43 contests for which he’s currently not eligible to participate.

Kyrie Irving was entering the third year of the four-year, $136.5 million contract he signed in 2019 and was eligible for up to a four-year extension worth $186 million.

He would have to exercise his player option for 2022–23 ($36.5 million) to get the extension. But that is no off the table, according to Shams Charania of The Athletic. Charania spoke recently on The Glue Guys podcast about the situation.

“He was willing to sacrifice, at the end of the day, $16 million in salary this upcoming year and $186 million, as far as an extension, that he will not be offered now,” Charania said.

The Nets offered him a four-year, $100 million extension before the 2021-22 season if he changed his stance on the shot which he rejected and opted into the last year of his contract for $36.5 million.

I am doing what’s best for me. I know the consequences here, and if it means that I’m judged and demonized for that, that’s just what it is. That’s the role I play, but I never wanted to give up my passion, my love, my dream just over this mandate.

It’s about choosing what’s best for you. You think I really want to lose money? You think I really want to give up on my dream to go after a championship? You think I really just want to give up my job? - Kyre Irving

Enes Kanter Freedom spoke out against China as opposed to cowering like the rest of the NBA

Courtesy Basketballforever.com

Lebron James gives his two cents on everything under the sun. He and the rest of the NBA are as quiet as a graveyard regarding China and its human rights abuses because China broadcasts NBA games. Two fans were even ejected from a Philidelphia 76ers game for supporting Hong Kong. First their “free Hong Kong” signs were confiscated. They continued to chant “free Hong Kong” and were then ejected! Enes Kanter Freedom chose to resist and speak out fearlessly about Chinese brutality and against LeBron James and the NBA on their silence. He frequently used his shoes to make statements. These are a comment on LeBron James.

Courtesy forums.mixedmartialarts.com

“I knew there was a price to pay. And I don’t regret my actions. These things are bigger than me, bigger than the NBA, and bigger than basketball. While I am playing in the USA, people are being killed all over the world or imprisoned or tortured in prisons. If this is the sacrifice I need to make, I am ready to live with it,” Kanter said.

Kanter became an American citizen on November 29, 2021, and also legally changed his name to Enes Kanter Freedom at the same time to mark the occasion.

Among his numerous actions:

• In October 2021, he condemned Chinese leader Xi Jinping as a "brutal dictator" and expressed support for the Free Tibet movement on Twitter. In retaliation, the Chinese government stopped streaming all Boston Celtics games.

• Also in October 2021, he led a rally in Washington, D.C., urging the U.S. Congress to pass the Uyghur Forced Labor Prevention Act, a law that would limit imports from the alleged areas where China has oppressed Uyghurs, Kazakhs, and Kyrgyz minorities. The Uyghur Forced Labor Prevention Act (UFLPA) was signed into law by President Biden on December 23, 2021.

• In 2022 he was traded by the Boston Celtics to the Houston Rockets where he was waived ending his NBA career. The NBA of course denies retaliation.

Concluding with the absolutely fearless Malala Yousafzai

Courtesy AFP

If one man can destroy everything why can't one girl change it? - Malala Yousafzai

From BBC NEWS by Mishal Husain

• In early 2009, when she was 11, she wrote a blog under her pseudonym Gul Makai for the BBC Urdu to detail her life during the Taliban's occupation of Swat.

• In October 2011 she was nominated by human rights activist Desmond Tutu for the International Children’s Peace Prize. In December of that year, she was awarded Pakistan’s first National Youth Peace Prize (later renamed the National Malala Peace Prize).

• On October 9, 2012, at age 15, Malala was shot in the head by the Taliban for speaking out that girls had a right, like boys, to be educated and for daring to go to school.

The entry wound of the bullet was above her left brow. From there it had travelled down through her neck and lodged in her back.

• marked her 16th birthday with a live address from UN headquarters, is known around the world by her first name alone and has been lauded by a former British prime minister as "an icon of courage and hope".

• For her work in drawing global attention to the threat to girls’ education in Pakistan, in 2014 at age 17 Malala Yousafzai became the youngest Nobel Prize laureate up to that time.

Here is the link to her site which raises money “that supports the work of educators and advocates and helps bolster girls’ secondary education around the world.”

Standing for what you think is right regardless of the cost

These men and women stood by their principles. What is your line in the sand? What belief or cause do you feel strong enough about to risk financial rewards or ruin or even death?

I leave you with those questions.