Paris Olympics Organizers Apologize For Last Supper Parody (too little too late)

Opening Ceremony – Olympic Games Paris 2024: Day 0 PARIS, FRANCE – JULY 26: Canadian Singer Celine Dion performs on the Eiffel Tower at the conclusion of the opening ceremony of the Olympic Games Paris 2024 on July 26, 2024 in Paris, France.

The Paris 2024 organizing committee has apologized to Catholics and other Christian organizations for upsetting them with a scene at the opening ceremony that featured drag queens, a transgender model, and a singer dressed as the Greek god of wine, evoking Leonardo da Vinci’s painting of The Last Supper.

The goal of the parody of the biblical scene was to interpret Dionysus and bring attention to “the absurdity of violence between human beings,” according to the organizers’ post on X.

The performance incited outrage among Catholics, Christian organizations, and conservative politicians worldwide, forcing the committee to issue an apology.

“Clearly there was never an intention to show disrespect to any religious group. [The opening ceremony] tried to celebrate community tolerance,” the Paris 2024 spokesperson Anne Descamps

 

told a press conference. “We believe this ambition was achieved. If people have taken any offense we are really sorry.”

The Catholic church in France said it deplored a ceremony that “included scenes of derision and mockery of Christianity”.

One of the French bishops’ delegates to the Games, Monsignor Emmanuel Gobilliard, claimed that the controversy’s aftermath had caused sleeplessness in a number of French athletes.

The most senior Catholic official in Malta and a representative of the Vatican’s influential doctrinal office, Archbishop Charles Scicluna, claimed to have complained about the “gratuitous insult” to France’s ambassador in Valletta.

What was supposed to be a celebration of French culture took an “unexpectedly negative turn, becoming a parade of banal errors, accompanied by trite and predictable ideologies,” according to the Italian bishops’ conference.

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Plane Crash Leaves 7 Dead, Including 3 Members Of Gospel Group The Nelons

ENTERTAINMENT: OCT 16 GMA Dove Awards NASHVILLE, TN – OCTOBER 16: The Nelons arrives on the red carpet at the 49th Annual Dove Awards on October 16, 2018 at Allen Arena in Nashville, TN.

Seven people, including three members of the family gospel group The Nelons, died in a plane crash in Wyoming on Friday afternoon.

The Gaither Management Group said in a statement on Saturday that Kelly Nelon Clark, her husband Jason Clark, and their daughter Amber Nelon Kistler were on their way to the Gaither Homecoming Cruise to Alaska when the accident happened.

According to the National Transportation Safety Board, the collision happened close to the northeastern town of Recluse, Wyoming.

Autumn Nelon Streetman, another member of the group and Kelly and Jason’s other daughter, released a statement following the tragedy.

“Prayers that have been extended already to me, my husband, Jamie, and our soon-to-be-born baby boy, as well as Jason’s parents, Dan and Linda Clark,” she thanked in a brief statement that she released. “We appreciate your continued prayers, love, and support as we navigate the coming days.”

The group’s last Instagram post was on Friday after they documented a pit stop in Nebraska.

“Gaither Homecoming Alaskan cruise. We are on our way,” Jason Clark said before panning the camera to show the rest of the group.

Melodi Hodges, pilot Larry Haynie and his wife Melissa, pilot Nathan Kistler, Amber’s husband, and an assistant were also killed in the crash.

It wasn’t immediately evident what caused the collision. The National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) is looking into the incident.

An NTSB spokesperson stated that preliminary data suggests that a Pilatus PC-12/47E, a turboprop aircraft with a single engine, “impacted terrain following a reported autopilot issue during flight.”

The spokesperson stated that not much information is currently available and that the investigation is still in its early stages. A team from the agency was headed to the crash site. 

The spokesperson also said that the team will start inspecting the aircraft as soon as they have access to the plane, which is located in a remote area.

The Nelons have recorded more than 35 albums and amassed over 20 Top 5 Southern Gospel radio singles for songs including “Thanks,” “Come Morning,” “We Shall Wear a Robe and Crown,” and “O for a Thousand Tongues.”

In 2016, they were inducted into the Gospel Music Hall of Fame.

Throughout their career, they received a Grammy nomination for best Southern gospel album in 1991 and 35 nominations for the GMA Dove Awards. They most recently won a Dove Award for country/bluegrass/roots recorded song of the year in 2021 for “If God Pulled Back the Curtain.”

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CartoonDems

 

Trump Vows to Make US the 'Bitcoin Superpower of the World'

 

Explaining his political reversal on bitcoin, Republican presidential nominee Donald Trump went all in Saturday on making the U.S. the "crypto capital" and "bitcoin superpower of the world."

"The reason I have come to address the bitcoin community today can be summed up in two very simple words: America first," Trump told the bitcoin conference in Nashville, Tennessee, in a speech that aired live and in its entirety on Newsmax and the free Newsmax2 streaming platform.

"Because if we don't do it, China is going to be doing it. Others are going to be doing it. Let's do it and do it right. My vision is for an America that dominates the future."

Trump said the Biden administration is trying to overregulate cryptocurrency and that the U.S. must embrace innovation, not stifle it.

"If we don't embrace crypto and bitcoin technology, China will; other countries will," Trump said. "They'll dominate, and we cannot let China dominate. They are making too much progress as it is."

China should make progress, too, but America should lead the way, Trump continued.

"I want the United States to be first in technology, first in science, first in manufacturing, first in artificial intelligence, and first in space," he said.

"This afternoon, I'm laying out my plan to ensure that the United States will be the crypto capital of the planet, and the bitcoin superpower of the world, and we'll get it done.

"If crypto is going to define the future, I want to be mined, minted, and made in the USA. It's going to be. It's not going to be made anywhere else.

"And if bitcoin is going to the moon — as we say, 'It's going to the moon' — I want America to be the nation that leads the way. And that's what's going to happen."

Trump had once been a critic of cryptocurrency, but its continued prominence has the GOP candidate now going all in on making it great in America.

"No, you're going to be very happy with me. You're going to be so happy. You're going to say, 'He's the greatest guy.'"

Trump used the bitcoin conference to call out Vice President Kamala Harris and President Joe Biden for being "hell-bent on crushing crypto," because it stands for "freedom, sovereignty, and independence."

"It should be no surprise that these same totalitarians are hell-bent on crushing crypto and obliterating it," Trump warned. "And that's what they want to do.

"You know what they're doing, obliterating bitcoin. The reason could not be more clear, because bitcoin stands for freedom, sovereignty, and independence from government coercion and control.

"The Biden-Harris administration's repression of crypto and bitcoin is wrong, and it's very bad for our country. It's really quite un-American."

Trump said the U.S. government "has almost 210,000 bitcoin, or 1% of the total supply that will ever exist," but it is breaking the rule about selling — something he vows to end if elected.

"But for too long, our government has violated the cardinal rule that every bitcoiner knows by heart: Never sell your bitcoin," Trump said. "Right? That's right, isn't it? How did I figure that one? Never sell your bitcoin.

"And so as the final part of my plan today, I am announcing that if I am elected, it will be the policy of my administration, the United States of America, to keep 100% of all the bitcoin."

Trump wrapped up his speech with a vow to be on the side of the innovators.

"Ultimately, my promise to each and every one of you is this: I will be the pro-innovation and pro-bitcoin president that America needs and our citizens deserve," Trump said.

"This will be one industry, but this will be a thriving industry, a great industry. And I'm going to be doing the same thing for every other industry. Also, our nation has never thrived by trying to censor new ideas and shut down the dreams of our people.

"America always plants our flag on the next frontier and pushes boldly ahead. We have to do that."

The Biden-Harris administration's "war on crypto" is stifling progress, according to Trump.

"Especially the last 3½ years, it's gone the exact opposite," Trump said. "Those of you in this room inherit the legacy of generations of American pioneers and patriots, risk takers, and renegades who settled this continent, built the modern world, and lived on the bleeding edge.

"You live on a bleeding edge. You do know that, bitcoiners, don't you? You are the modern-day Edisons and Wright brothers and Carnegies and Henry Fords. And what you do in your lifetime stands a chance to outlive us all and inspire humanity for generations to come."

Trump concluded by calling this "a very important day in the history of your industry."

"Together, you are building America's future with your own smarts, your own grit, and your own skin in the game," He said. "You have own skin in the game, you have a lot of skin in the game, and that's what you're doing.

"It takes courage to do it. Most people don't have that courage. My job will be to set you free and to let you do what Americans do best and what you're going to do better than anybody: Win, win, win."

Eric Mack ✉

Eric Mack has been a writer and editor at Newsmax since 2016. He is a 1998 Syracuse University journalism graduate and a New York Press Association award-winning writer.

Jen Psaki Finally Apologizes for Lying to Gold Star Families

Former White House Press Secretary and now MSNBC host Jen Psaki finally apologized Friday for saying in her book that Joe Biden didn’t look at his watch during a Dover Air Force Base ceremony in August 2021 honoring the 13 soldiers killed during the Afghanistan withdrawal.

During a transcribed interview, Foreign Affairs Committee Chairman Michael McCaul (R-TX) asked Psaki about her comments that she wrote in her book, Say More, that stated President Joe Biden never looked at his watch during a ceremony in late August 2021 honoring soldiers killed in Afghanistan returning home.

“The chairman asked Ms. Psaki about her comments regarding President Biden looking at his watch while at Dover [Air Force Base] and asked her if she had anything she wanted to say to the families on the record,” Leslie Shedd, Foreign Affairs Committee majority spokeswoman, said in a statement to the Washington Examiner. “After pressing her multiple times if she had something she wanted to say to them, Ms. Psaki asked the chairman to pass along her apology to the families and to express her regret for the pain she caused them. He has done that.”

Good for McCaul for pressing the issue, but Psaki’s apparent apology is weak sauce indeed. She asked him “to pass along” her regrets? She has a national cable news TV show from which she could speak to them directly any time she chooses.

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Related: Jen Psaki Outright Lies About Biden in Her New Book, and the Backlash Has Her Scrambling

Gold Star Families to Jen Psaki: You'll Be Hearing From Our Attorneys

Leftists Struggle to Hold Back the Tears As They Melt Over Demise of Biden's Ree

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It’s also still mystifying that she would have made such an incorrect claim in the first place. Was she not aware of the existence of cameras and witnesses?

Rep. Mike Waltz (R-FL) reacted to the news:

This isn’t a partisan or gotcha moment. This is the right thing to do as fellow Americans and I pray she follows through.

I'm unclear what Waltz means by "I pray she follows through" because in reading McCaul's statement, her asking him to pass along her regrets seems like that's as far as she is willing to go. I don't know if she'd have the decency to apologize to the families directly.

Biden’s dereliction of duty during the Afghanistan withdrawal was an early stain on his presidency and was only made worse by the lack of respect and empathy he showed America’s fallen and the Gold Star families. Psaki’s false telling of that day just added more salt to the wounds.

Our American heroes deserved better.

 

The Backlash Continues: Tech Company Pulls Ads From Olympics As Boycott Movement Grows

 Negative reactions to Friday night's Olympic opening ceremony continue to pour in, and at least one company has announced it is pulling its advertising, while a boycott movement has been trending on Twitter.

I personally found the show to be boring most of the time, offensive the rest, and I wondered why organizers hadn't taken into consideration that they couldn't control the weather. (To be fair, however, the laser show at the end and Celine Deon's performance were quality highlights.)

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What even was this?

House Speaker Mike Johnson Disgusted at 'Shocking and Insulting' Olympics Opener

Bishop Barron on Paris Olympics Drag 'Last Supper': 'Would They've Dared Mock Islam in a Similar Way?'

WATCH: Insane Wokeness Overtakes the Olympics, 'Drag Queens' Mock Christianity in Astonishing Display

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One company isn't taking it lying down, saying they were "shocked by the mockery":

C Spire 

A Brave True American Company

 is not a behemoth, but the Mississippi-based telecommunications and technology company does have a reported market cap of over $348 million, so they're not nobodies either. 

Mississippi Governor Tate Reeves backed the company's move:

It will be interesting to see if other companies follow suit. Meanwhile, a boycott movement has gained traction on Twitter/X:

Thousands of social media users have threatened to boycott the nascent Paris Olympics after its opening ceremony was widely panned on Friday.

Enraged viewers took to X where #boycottOlympics and #boycottParis2024 were seen trending over the course of the following day. 

In particular, the appearance of a 'naked blue man' among a scene likened to the Last Supper angered many watching, especially Christians.

I will spare you any photos of "Naked Blue Man."

Although French President Emmanuel Macron praised the ceremony, Marion Maréchal, a member of the European Parliament, tried to distance La République from the show: 

The #BoycottOlympics tag is seeing a lot of action on X, with many of the reactions too heated to post here. Here's a sample of the tamer feelings displayed:

The dedicated decimation of the family unit on full display at the Olympics….  

A direct diss to EVERY parent attempting to raise kids with decent values. 

#BoycottOlympics

I wrote earlier Saturday about how I was watching the Super Bowl with my seven-year-old in 2004 when Janet Jackson and Justin Timberlake decided it was a great time to get raunchy. Athletic events simply aren't the place for that time of thing:

It’s probably impossible to completely divorce politics from sports, especially during international events, but there’s no reason to bring threesomes, drag queens, and mockery of Christianity into play. It seems like they went out of their way to be offensive—and they succeeded.

It remains to be seen how much the backlash affects the games and whether more advertisers pull their money from NBC. My first instinct is to say no—people will forget and start focusing on the actual competitions, and the kinds of people who thought up this garbage in the first place will keep attempting to shove it down our throats.

However, I've been wrong before—and I'm glad of it—because I thought the Bud Light/Dylan Mulvaney fiasco would quickly fade from the headlines, yet the company lost billions as its betrayed customers let their voices be heard. 

Could we be in for a repeat?

There's Been Another Fatal Attack on Israel

Israel is facing another “all-out-war” after Hezbollah reportedly terrorists fired a rocket at the Israeli Druze Arab village of Majdal Shams, where at least ten people were killed, including children. 

However, Hezbollah has denied the allegations, saying that “it has no connection to the incident at all and categorically denies all false allegations.”

According to Israel’s Channel 13, a rocket hit a field where children ages ten to twelve were playing soccer, resulting in fatal wounds. 

Israel’s foreign minister, Israel Katz, said that the death toll is expected to rise as 30 people were taken to nearby hospitals for their injuries. 

The military is investigating why it failed to intercept the projectile. Top IDF brass are currently holding assessments on the attack, the deadliest by Hezbollah amid the ongoing skirmishes on the northern border, and will determine a response against the terror group.

“There is no doubt that Hezbollah crossed all red lines,” Katz tells Channel 12 news. “We are facing an all-out war.”

“I have no doubt that we’ll pay a cost,” he adds, but insists Israel will exact an even higher cost from Hezbollah. Via the Israel Times. 

Israel said it has identified “approximately 30 projectiles” crossing from Lebanon into Israeli territory. Israel Defense Forces (IDF) spokesperson Daniel Hagari described the attack as “the deadliest attack on Israeli civilians since October 7.”

Trending on Townhall Videos

 

Hezbollah and Israel Are on the Brink of War...And the Biden White House Is Silent

As Sarah wrote on Saturday, tragedy has again struck Israel: Hezbollah reportedly fired a rocket at the Israeli Druze village of Majdal Shams, killing at least ten people, some of them children. They were playing a soccer game. The attack has increased tensions as Hezbollah has been firing rockets into Israel for months. It’s led to an internal displacement crisis, as Israelis in the northern part of the country have evacuated to the south. 

Since the start of the war in Gaza against Hamas in retaliation for the barbaric October 7 attacks, Israel has made no qualms about taking protracted military action against Hezbollah if the rocket attacks continue. Hamas’ invasion into the southern part of the country last year shocked the psyche of the Jewish state, where wiping out the terrorists and all threats to their nation was a security priority, a sentiment shared from across the political spectrum. We could be on the verge of a northern front opening in the Middle East, which has made the Biden White House nervous. This rocket attack comes as Kamala Harris, who has assumed the top slot in the 2024 Democratic Party ticket, called for a ceasefire in her remarks on the ongoing situation in Gaza (via Axios): 

The Biden administration is highly concerned that a rocket attack from Lebanon that killed 12 people in the Golan Heights could lead to an all out war between Israel and Hezbollah, U.S. officials tell Axios. 

The big picture: The administration for months has worried that both Israel and Hezbollah are miscalculating as they escalate their rhetoric and fighting on the ground while thinking they can avoid an all-out war. 

U.S. officials are also concerned that without a ceasefire in Gaza, a war between Israel and the Lebanese militant group is becoming more likely, which would exacerbate the regional crisis and draw the U.S. deeper into the conflict. 

"What happened today could be the trigger we have been worried about and tried to avoid for 10 months," a U.S. official told Axios.

Driving the news: The IDF said twelve people were killed and more than 30 were wounded when a rocket exploded in a soccer field in the Druze village of Majdal Shams in the Golan Heights. 

IDF spokesman Rear Admiral Daniel Hagari said Hezbollah was responsible for the attack. 

Hezbollah denied it fired the rocket and said it had no connection to the incident.

Hagari called it the "most serious targeting" of Israeli civilians since the Oct. 7 Hamas attack on Israel.

Where’s Joe Biden? As of writing this post at 2 am, there’s been no statement about the attack, not even a tweet. Who’s in charge of the White House? Does Joe Biden know there’s been an attack? In his last Oval Office address, Mr. Biden had a laundry list of items he thought he could get done, showing that he still had the mental capacity to carry out his duties. He needed to sound busy, but we’re on the brink of a second front opening in the Middle East between Israel and radical Islamic terrorists, and the president is AWOL.

Joe, is America back? Because something should have been released hours ago, even before your 4:30 PM bedtime. Has Biden been present at the NSC meetings on this situation? 

Trending on Townhall Videos