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Jesus Was Born In A Police State

Authored by John Whitehead via The Rutherford Institute,

The Christmas narrative of a baby born in a manger is a familiar one.

The Roman Empire, a police state in its own right, had ordered that a census be conducted. Joseph and his pregnant wife Mary traveled to the little town of Bethlehem so that they could be counted. There being no room for the couple at any of the inns, they stayed in a stable, where Mary gave birth to a baby boy, Jesus.

Unfortunately, Jesus was born into a police state not unlike the growing menace of the American police state. And when he grew up, Jesus did not shy away from speaking truth to power. Indeed, his teachings undermined the political and religious establishment of his day. He was eventually crucified as a warning to others not to challenge the powers-that-be.

Yet what if, instead of being born into the Roman police state, Jesus had been born and raised in the American police state?

Rather than traveling to Bethlehem for a census, Jesus’ parents would have been mailed a 28-page American Community Survey, a mandatory government questionnaire documenting their habits, household inhabitants, work schedule, etc.

Instead of being born in a manger, Jesus might have been born at home. Rather than wise men and shepherds bringing gifts, however, the baby’s parents might have been forced to ward off visits from state social workers intent on prosecuting them for the home birth. One couple in Washington had all three of their children removed after social services objected to the two youngest being birthed in an unassisted home delivery.

Had Jesus’ parents been undocumented immigrants, they and the newborn baby might have been shuffled to a profit-driven, private prison for illegals where they would have been turned into cheap, forced laborers for corporations such as Starbucks, Microsoft, Walmart, and Victoria’s Secret.

From the time he was old enough to attend school, Jesus would have been drilled in lessons of compliance and obedience to government authorities, while learning little about his own rights. Had he dared to step out of line while in school, he might have found himself tasered or beaten by a school resource officer, or at the very least suspended under a school zero tolerance policy that punishes minor infractions as harshly as more serious offenses.

Had Jesus disappeared for a few hours let alone days as a 12-year-old, his parents would have been handcuffed, arrested and jailed for parental negligence.

From the moment Jesus made contact with an “extremist” such as John the Baptist, he would have been flagged for surveillance because of his association with a prominent activist, peaceful or otherwise. Since 9/11, the FBI has actively carried out surveillance and intelligence-gathering operations on a broad range of activist groups.

Jesus’ anti-government views would certainly have resulted in him being labeled a domestic extremist. Law enforcement agencies are being trained to recognize signs of anti-government extremism during interactions with potential extremists who share a “belief in the approaching collapse of government and the economy.”

While traveling from community to community, Jesus might have been reported to government officials as “suspicious” under the Department of Homeland Security’s “See Something, Say Something” programs.

Rather than being permitted to live as an itinerant preacher, Jesus might have found himself threatened with arrest for daring to live off the grid or sleeping outside. In fact, the number of cities that have resorted to criminalizing homelessness by enacting bans on camping, sleeping in vehicles, loitering and begging in public has doubled.

Viewed by the government as a dissident and potential threat to its power, Jesus might have had government spies planted among his followers to monitor his activities, report on his movements, and entrap him into breaking the law. Such Judases today—called informants—often receive hefty paychecks from the government for their treachery.

Had Jesus used the internet to spread his radical message of peace and love, he might have found his blog posts infiltrated by government spies attempting to undermine his integrity, discredit him or plant incriminating information online about him. At the very least, he would have had his website hacked and his email monitored.

Had Jesus attempted to feed large crowds of people, he would have been threatened with arrest for violating various ordinances prohibiting the distribution of food without a permit. Florida officials arrested a 90-year-old man for feeding the homeless on a public beach.

Had Jesus spoken publicly about his 40 days in the desert and his conversations with the devil, he might have been labeled mentally ill and detained in a psych ward with no access to family or friends.

Without a doubt, had Jesus attempted to overturn tables in a Jewish temple and rage against the materialism of religious institutions, he would have been charged with a hate crime. Currently, 45 states and the federal government have hate crime laws on the books.

Rather than having armed guards capture Jesus in a public place, government officials would have ordered that a SWAT team carry out a raid on Jesus and his followers, complete with flash-bang grenades and military equipment. There are upwards of 80,000 such SWAT team raids carried out every year.

Had anyone reported Jesus to the police as being potentially dangerous, he might have found himself confronted—and killed—by police officers for whom any perceived act of non-compliance (a twitch, a question, a frown) can result in them shooting first and asking questions later.

Charged with treason and labeled a domestic terrorist, Jesus might have been sentenced to a life-term in a private prison where he would have been forced to provide slave labor for corporations or put to death by way of the electric chair or a lethal mixture of drugs.

Either way, as I show in my book Battlefield America: The War on the American People, whether Jesus had been born in our modern age or his own, he still would have died at the hands of a police state.

Remember, what happened on that starry night in Bethlehem is only part of the story. That baby in the manger grew up to be a man who did not turn away from evil but instead spoke out against it, and we must do no less.

Top 10 Fashion Brands of 2017

Top 10 Fashion Brands 2017
Becoming a highly-coveted fashion brand isn’t just about pushing perfect products anymore. In addition to offering designs that consistently impress consumers, the other big part of staying relevant is continually creating buzz. Labels in 2017 were more tactical in their approach to being the most talked-about topic in any fashion conversation. Timing is everything and when it came down to causing excitement through product collaborations, influencer partnerships and pop-up activations, some brands executed the process perfectly.
2017 saw fashion’s biggest names deliver controversial trends and polarizing designs. Yet, at the end of it all, fans answered with great fervor, lining up at storefronts and buying up all the most desired pieces from their favorite brands. It’s not a new concept in the culture of hype but the newfound fandom for some does offer a fresh perspective on how labels did everything in their power to either capture or stay at the top spot. With that said, this year’s best brands had the perfect balance of sales and buzzworthy moments. And for those just entering the list of imprints in the upper echelon, it’s evidence of how newer names can easily surpass legacy brands in these fickle times in fashion. Here are the 10 best of 2017, in no particular order.
01
01
A-COLD-WALL*
A-COLD-WALL*
Designer Samuel Ross didn’t hold anything back for 2017. This year saw his label A-COLD-WALL* deliver its first runway presentation in January which was followed by another one in June. In between and after these shows, Ross also executed a range of stunning exclusive products which were sold through a number pop-up exhibits around the world. Furthermore, it was the year of the collaboration for A-COLD-WALL* as it gave its fans the chance to own the much hyped about collaborative Nike Air Force 1 and a capsule range alongside Hiroshi Fujiwara’s fragment design.
02
ALYX
ALYX
2017 demonstrated ALYX’s potential as a formidable fashion brand with lasting appeal. Designer Matthew Williams really showcased his technical prowess with the label’s Fall/Winter 2017 collection — the range not only exhibited high attention to detail but also prime tailoring, exquisite knitwear and a knack for premium fabrics. Aside from its clothing offerings, which has now been added to more stockists, ALYX also dropped a covetable capsule of footwear alongside iconic skate shoe brand Vans.
03
03
BALENCIAGA
BALENCIAGA
Balenciaga was hard to ignore in 2017. Notable moments include the politically-inspired Fall/Winter 2017 collection featuring Bernie Sanders-style logos, the release of some IKEA lookalike bags, and the introduction of a few groundbreaking footwear — namely, the Speed Trainers and the head-turning dad shoe of the year, the Triple-S sneakers. Furthermore, Balenciaga was more of a cultural movement than it was a brand in 2017 as it focused on expanding the Athleisure 2.0 trend and driving the theme of family forward, as evident in its Spring/Summer 2018 collection and new kids line.
04
GUCCI
04
GUCCI
Gucci stayed loud and proud when it came to its designs, lookbooks, partnerships and shows in 2017. In April, it was announced that the company’s sales grew 50% just in the first quarter. Not one to remain complacent, the fashion house continued to create more buzz by aligning itself with Gucci Ghost, Dapper Dan and MR PORTER through some exciting exclusives. Ultimately, it was the bold graphics and motifs that got consumers buying its quality goods and that’s an even more important trend that’s sure to carry on for 2018.
05
05
STONE ISLAND
STONE ISLAND
Functional fashion will always have a place in the industry and it’s amazing to see how Stone Island dominated this category in 2017. The imprint remained consistent to its design philosophy this year, offering products made with the highest regard to quality. It’s “frost” finished outerwear pieces and color changing sweaters are just a few examples why this brand is so revered. Besides its ongoing relationship with Supreme, this year also saw SI open up a new outpost in Los Angeles — it now even has plans to build shops in Venice and Tokyo for 2018.
06
OFF-WHITE™
OFF-WHITE™
Virgil Abloh and his brand Off-White™ ruled 2017 for a number of reasons. In addition to noise-making collaborations alongside Moncler, Nike, and a slew of other big names, the label also opened up new stores in New York (EM PTY Gallery), Hong-Kong, Shanghai, Taipei, Seoul, Kuala Lumpur and Sydney just this year. Additionally, 2017 saw more Off-White™ clothing draped on top fashion influencers, musicians and movie stars, all helping secure Virgil’s position amongst the pantheon of elite designers.
07
PALACE
07
PALACE
The biggest news for Palace in 2017 was the opening of its New York location in May and things have been on an upward trajectory for the skate brand ever since. In addition to the new shop, Palace also caused quite the stir with its coveted collabs — an adidas partnership even had fans lined up to buy bathrobes. Alongside product releases, the company also focused on doing some good by raising money through the sale of skateboards to help fund the revamping of London’s Southbank skate park.
08
08
RAF SIMONS
RAF SIMONS
In 2017, Raf Simons not only won the CFDA Menswear Designer of the Year award in June but he was also recognized as the International Fashion Designer of the Year by the British Fashion Council this December. It was not at all surprising as the man, who also is currently heading Calvin Klein, fine-tuned the look and feel of his namesake label. The result — enhanced knitwear in collaboration with the Woolmark Company, politically-inspired designs that excited fans and the execution of one of the best fashion shows this year with his Bladerunner-themed Spring/Summer 2018 presentation.
09
SUPREME
SUPREME
It’s hard not to look at Supreme’s 2017 without mentioning its collaboration with Louis Vuitton. It was practically the power move that broke the mold and solidified streetwear’s place in the world of high-end design. There were other worthwhile collabs announced this year too but the biggest one would be Supreme’s investment deal with The Carlyle Group. Seeing as how Supreme was so adept at selling out goods in 2017, this deal gives the popular New York brand the opportunity to expand further, making 2018 and beyond look even brighter for the skatewear giant.
10
VETEMENTS
10
VETEMENTS
Vetements continued to amaze and simultaneously confuse the world of fashion in 2017. Just when the industry thought it had seen the last of Demna Gvasalia’s DHL antics, the brand revealed that a factual collaboration between the two would be executed. The DHL x Vetements pop-up saw life at the end of November and offered more clothes, sneakers, collabs, televisions, mugs, magnets, and even flowers all sold in the back of yellow DHL trucks. Besides this highly-talked about event, the brand also made noise in 2017 through its Reebok kicks, Maxfield dry cleaning pop-up and clothes pile display at Saks Fifth.

Read more at HYPEBEAST

Breathtaking Interior Images of Copenhagen’s Rare Expressionist Church

Copenhagen’s Grundtvig’s Church is a rare example of expressionist church architecture, and one of the most well-known churches in the Danish city. French photographer Ludwig Favre was attracted to the perpendicular lines that compose the early 20th-century structure, in addition to the nearly six million yellow bricks that fill its interior. Favre decided to shoot the building’s 1800-seat congregation, capturing the minimal ornamentation found in the famous church’s massive vaulted halls and nave. More