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Watch: School Board Member Loses Grip on Reality Over Prayer Before Meeting – ‘This to Me Is Very Disturbing’

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2 months ago

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There’s a general rule of thumb in these United States: If you’re a member of a county or local school board and people around the country know your name, that’s so seldom a good sign.

Sure, if you’re a state congressman or local mayor, maybe you’ve gained a modicum of fame for something good. Work further up the ladder — state education official, appointed officer, something to that effect — even more chance that we know your name because you’re doing your job well or did something laudable.

County school board member? No. That means you’ve 1) been arrested or 2) gone bananas.

Credit, then, to Cabarrus County, North Carolina, School Board of Education member Pamela Escobar, who has not been arrested. (Not that I know of, anyhow.) No, we know her because of the fact that she flipped her lid over the fact a fellow member of the board wanted an invocation to open board meetings.

Escobar’s response, in a viral rant? “How much prayer do you need? How much God do you need?”

There are two obvious answers to this. First, as much as you can get. Second, if you disagree with the first, at least a little more, for this woman’s mental state, which does not seem so hot.

The clip, which started going viral a few weeks after the April 14 meeting at which it happened, involved a request from board member Melanie Freeman — who, as Fox News notes, ran with her Christian faith as a foregrounded element — that the meetings start with a prayer.

“From the very beginnings, when the Puritans touched ground in the new world, prayer has been the bedrock of this nation,” she says in the video.

“Today, our U.S. Congress begins each opening day with an invocation before reciting the Pledge of Allegiance … I respectfully make a motion to include an invocation to our agenda and meetings moving forward.”

Melanie Freeman has neither been arrested nor is crazy, so you can forget her name for the rest of this story. Let’s refocus, then, on Pamela Escobar, who was Not Happy™ with the suggestion.

“Talking about tradition — so, you saw this meeting tonight,” she said, visibly piqued. “It’s beautiful … if you looked at our audience, they don’t look like us. They look like this community. We are diverse. We come from 92 countries, we speak 67 languages.”

“If you put prayer at the beginning of this meeting, I don’t think that’s a welcoming sign to the people who are in this room tonight,” she continued. “Every child belongs, and I would not want to do anything that says to this community, ‘You don’t belong in our school district.'”

I mean, except for ranting about Christians and their wacky prayer habits as weird, which she’s extremely willing to do.

“So this to me is very disturbing, because I think it sends the wrong message that we’re trying to communicate,” she said. “And frankly, we are not in the business of faith or religion!

“That’s not what we do. We teach. We empower, we inspire. And so, to do something that would be the opposite of that is disheartening.”

Yes, prayer is the opposite of teaching, empowering and inspiring to her. This just gets better and better.

“On top of it, this board prays. This board prays before every meeting if you choose to be part of it,” she said, citing a prayer group before meetings.

“How much prayer do you need? How much God do you need?” Escobar said. “This is exclusionary.”

“[School employees] come here to work. To dedicate their lives to children. They didn’t come here to pray with you,” she continued.

“If you want to pray with them, take them to church. You want to be evangelical and do that? Go for it. But not on my time, not on their time and not on this community’s time. We’re not in this business. This is not the time or the place. We’re better than that.”

If “this community” is like Pamela Escobar, oh no they’re not:

According to Fox News, she spoke no less than four times to try to get the invocation off the agenda, including noting how offended she was and about the possibility of opening the district up to a lawsuit.

“I don’t need to participate in that, and I don’t think you need to make the entire school board join you in your prayer. And if you do, then you have to be prepared for people to sue us because they have the right to religious freedom,” she said.

“I don’t know why you need prayer to take this job seriously.”

Apparently, the rest of the board did, because the motion passed 5-2 to draft a written policy regarding the invocation and then invite public comment — which Escobar will doubtlessly give plenty of.

Which is why, naturally, policies like this end up passing.

Here’s the deal, lady: First, we’re completely willing to risk offending some godless people so that we can beg Almighty God for his blessing. Be offended if you want, but offended you will be, and we won’t care.

Two, this was founded as a Christian nation, and we — as Christians — have as much right to defend that as you and your nihilist pals have to try to change it. So sit down and strap in, because you’re in for a fight.

Finally, the Constitution doesn’t provide you or anyone else protection from being offended. That’s a good thing for you, because your godless arrogance offends the rest of us.

Understood? Fair enough. Now, move onto getting this rant off the top of the results page for Google searches for your name, Board Member Escobar.

It’ll take a while.

This article appeared originally on The Western Journal.

The post Watch: School Board Member Loses Grip on Reality Over Prayer Before Meeting – ‘This to Me Is Very Disturbing’ appeared first on The Gateway Pundit.

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GOP Senator John Thune Quietly BLOCKS Trump Recess Appointments with Sneaky Procedural Maneuver — Launches Series of Pro Forma Sessions to Keep Senate in Fake “Session” During August Recess

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11 hours ago

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August 3, 2025

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Senate Majority Leader John Thune (R‑SD) has unveiled a procedural scheme to block President Donald Trump from making any critical appointments during the August recess, effectively aiding the Democrats’ obstructionist agenda.

Under the U.S. Constitution, the president can make “recess appointments,” temporary appointments to federal positions, if the Senate is in recess and not conducting business. These appointments don’t require immediate Senate confirmation and can last until the end of the next session of Congress.

But there’s a loophole: if the Senate holds pro forma sessions, very short, symbolic meetings where no actual business is conducted, then technically, the Senate is still in session. That means the president cannot legally make recess appointments during that time.

John Thune has quietly secured unanimous‑consent for a paper‑thin Senate schedule through the Trump appointee confirmation deadline, ensuring only pro forma sessions on five key dates in early August.

Under the agreement, the chamber will adjourn after today’s business and reconvene without conducting any votes or business on:

  • Tue, Aug 5 – 1:00 p.m.
  • Fri, Aug 8 – 1:05 p.m.
  • Tue, Aug 12 – 8:00 a.m.
  • Fri, Aug 15 – 10:15 a.m.
  • Tue, Aug 19 – 10:00 a.m.
  • Fri, Aug 22 – 9:00 a.m.
  • Tue, Aug 26 – 12:00 p.m.
  • Fri, Aug 29 – 7:00 a.m.

WATCH:

Thune’s pro forma blueprint comes amid mounting pressure from Donald Trump, who has demanded the Senate remain open until all 150+ administration nominees are confirmed.

Under the Recess Appointments Clause, a president may only install nominees without Senate approval if both chambers are in formal recess for at least 10 days. By convening the Senate just long enough every few days, Thune blocks the possibility of Trump making unilateral appointees.

The Senate went into its August recess without confirming all of Trump’s pending judicial and district‑level appointments.

By the time lawmakers left town on Saturday evening, no deal had been reached to move dozens of Trump’s nominees, including U.S. district court picks, through final floor votes.

Only a small handful of nominees (such as Jeanine Pirro to be U.S. Attorney in D.C.) had advanced. Otherwise, nominees remained stalled in committees or waiting for cloture roll‑calls on the executive calendar.

Roughly 150–160 executive and judicial nominations, including over a dozen district court judges and U.S. attorney nominations, remained scheduled but unconfirmed.

The post GOP Senator John Thune Quietly BLOCKS Trump Recess Appointments with Sneaky Procedural Maneuver — Launches Series of Pro Forma Sessions to Keep Senate in Fake “Session” During August Recess appeared first on The Gateway Pundit.

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‘That’s What I Call Results!’: Trump Admin Saves Jobs, Kicks 1500 Non-English-Speaking Truckers Off the Road

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11 hours ago

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August 3, 2025

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Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy revealed that there have been about 1,500 truck drivers who do not speak English taken off the roads as part of a push to ensure foreign truck drivers are not causing accidents.

Back in 2016, the Obama administration stopped enforcing English proficiency requirements for truckers, according to a report from The Daily Signal.

But in May, Duffy issued a guidance making clear that truck drivers who cannot demonstrate a proficiency in English cannot drive.

The 1,500 drivers were taken off the roads within the first 3o days of the rules once more being enforced, according to The Daily Signal.

“Since I took action to enforce language proficiency requirements for truckers, our state partners have put roughly 1,500 unqualified drivers out of service. That’s what I call results!” Duffy posted on X.

“If you can’t read or speak our national language — ENGLISH — we won’t let your truck endanger the driving public.”

He added, “America First = Safety First.”

Duffy’s concerns were far from unfounded.

In January, there was a truck driver involved in a fatal crash that had to use a language interpreter for the post-crash investigation, according to the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration.

Another incident from 2019 involved a truck driver who could not proficiently speak English speeding through signs that warned of steep grades and dangerous curves, all at more than 100 miles per hour.

Four people died in that crash, per the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration.

President Donald Trump had likewise insisted with an April executive order that the move centered on public safety.

“They should be able to read and understand traffic signs, communicate with traffic safety, border patrol, agricultural checkpoints, and cargo weight-limit station officers,” the order said of truck drivers.

They also “need to provide feedback to their employers and customers and receive related directions in English,” a position the order called “common sense.”

“It is the policy of my Administration to support America’s truckers and safeguard our roadways by enforcing the commonsense English-language requirement for commercial motor vehicle drivers and removing needless regulatory burdens that undermine the working conditions of America’s truck drivers,” the notice added.

“This order will help ensure a safe, secure, and efficient motor carrier industry.”

This article appeared originally on The Western Journal.

The post ‘That’s What I Call Results!’: Trump Admin Saves Jobs, Kicks 1500 Non-English-Speaking Truckers Off the Road appeared first on The Gateway Pundit.

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Slovenia Imposes Arms Embargo on Israel, Citing Gaza Conflict

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11 hours ago

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August 3, 2025

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via Wikimedia Commons

Slovenia has imposed an arms embargo on Israel, banning the export, import, and transit of weapons to and from the country.

This decision was announced by Prime Minister Robert Golob following a government session on July 31, 2025.

Slovenia claims to be the first European Union member to take such a step, citing the EU’s inability to act due to internal disagreements.

The government stated that no permits for military exports to Israel have been issued since October 2023, when the conflict in Gaza began.

Officials emphasized that the embargo is an independent measure to address the humanitarian situation in Gaza. Slovenia has repeatedly called for a ceasefire and increased aid deliveries to the region.

In early July 2025, Slovenia declared two Israeli ministers, Bezalel Smotrich and Itamar Ben-Gvir, persona non grata, barring them from entry.

This action was based on their public statements regarding the conflict. Earlier, in June 2024, Slovenia recognized Palestinian statehood, joining countries like Ireland, Norway, and Spain in this move.

The conflict in Gaza started after the October 7, 2023, attack by Hamas on Israeli territory, which resulted in over 1,200 deaths and the taking of hostages.

Israel responded with a military operation aimed at dismantling Hamas infrastructure. Reports from Gaza’s health ministry indicate significant casualties, with ongoing international efforts to negotiate truces and provide aid.

Several other nations have taken similar diplomatic steps, including France, Britain, and Canada announcing potential recognition of a Palestinian state. Australia has also indicated that recognizing Palestinian statehood is under consideration.

Israel has criticized these declarations, arguing they could reward Hamas for its actions.

Israeli officials dismissed Slovenia’s embargo as insignificant, noting that Israel does not procure any defense materials from Slovenia.

An unnamed official stated that the country buys nothing from Slovenia, not even minor items.

Within the EU, there is growing pressure for measures against Israel, with Sweden and the Netherlands advocating for suspending parts of the EU-Israel Association Agreement.

The European Commission has proposed limiting Israel’s participation in the Horizon research program, though Germany opposes such steps.

German Foreign Minister Johann Wadephul expressed concerns about Israel’s potential diplomatic isolation during a visit to Jerusalem.

The United States remains a key ally to Israel, with President Donald Trump warning that recognizing Palestinian statehood might benefit Hamas.

U.S. special envoy Steve Witkoff recently met with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to advance Gaza truce talks. These efforts aim to address the humanitarian crisis and secure a ceasefire.

The post Slovenia Imposes Arms Embargo on Israel, Citing Gaza Conflict appeared first on The Gateway Pundit.

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