January 16 Morning Edition

ILLINOIS REPUBLICAN PARTY
— JANUARY 11, 2021 FLASHBACK: ILGOP Announces Open Process & Timeline for Selection of New Chairman
(DIERSEN: The deadline for filing an application is 5:00 PM on Thursday, January 21, 2021. Who do you want to file an application? Who has filed an application? Who will file an application? Who do you want the next Illinois Republican Party (IRP) Chairman to be? How will the next IRP Chairman treat the 2,446,891 in Illinois who voted for Trump? How will the next IRP Chairman treat Illinois voters who support the traditional marriage/family, right to life, immigration, illegal drugs, Second Amendment, and equal opportunity (no race or gender based preference giving) planks in the Republican Party platform? If I was still the Chairman of TAPROOT Republicans of Illinois, the organization would host a candidate forum for IRP Chairman candidates.)
https://mailchi.mp/a6f9781827ce/icymi-pritzker-admin-mia-while-over-20-of-lasalle-veterans-home-residents-die-of-covid-4707208?e=766e44889d
— JANUARY 11, 2021 FLASHBACK: APPLICATION: Illinois Republican Party Chairman Qualifications 2021
https://illinois.gop/wp-content/uploads/2021/01/Illinois-Republican-Party-Chairman-Application.pdf

CRAIN’S CHICAGO
— The Illinois GOP has an opportunity—even now. Yes, they’re facing a crisis of epic proportions in the post-Trump era. But don’t underestimate Illinois Democrats’ ability to overreach—and to ignore the dangers of failing to appeal to voters in the middle. – GREG HINZ
https://www.chicagobusiness.com/greg-hinz-politics/illinois-gop-has-opportunity-even-now
(FROM THE ARTICLE: Call it the Adam Kinzinger conundrum. Ask top Illinois Republicans who can lead the party back to the glory days, the days when the party’s nominee could grab a U.S. Senate seat or defeat Gov. J.B. Pritzker, and they’ll drop Kinzinger’s name. And almost as quickly, they’ll openly wonder whether the southwest suburban congressman who voted to impeach President Donald Trump can win a GOP primary and make it to the general election. So it goes for a GOP that, both in Illinois and nationally, is going through an existential identity crisis, one whose results will affect all of us and not just Republicans. Trump is toast. History. Soon to leave the White House and, after the invasion of Capitol Hill, without any real prospect to again hold public office or remain the dominant figure in the GOP. It may take a while but, like an ice cube in the sun, he’ll melt away, caught alone in a tweet-less land. But if Trump is gone, his voters and their issues remain. To deny them, to ignore their calls and their concerns, is to beg for another Trump to rise up later. “I don’t believe in a cult of personality,” says former gubernatorial and congressional hopeful Jeanne Ives, a cultural and economic conservative by anyone’s measure. But while the GOP needs to “take the rhetoric down,” she adds, “people want someone who is fighting for them. . . .People are tired of big government with no solutions.” Now, one of the reasons why many voters consider government to be the enemy is because of the garbage some of their leaders from Fox News-land are feeding them. You know, the enablers, the folks who helped peddle the line that arguably the most investigated and litigated presidential contest in American history has been rigged and unfairly decided. Like downstate U.S. Reps. Mike Bost and Mary Miller. Even as the Capitol was still reeling from the impact of a cop-battering, glass-breaking mob, they voted to give the mob what it wanted: a halt to certification of the presidential winner for no good reason beyond Trump’s heart’s desire. Or Todd Ricketts. He and his siblings own the Chicago Cubs, and some think his deep wallet might make Ricketts a candidate for statewide office or a major backer thereof sometime soon. But if Ricketts has any regrets for heading fundraising for Trump, he hasn’t voiced them. I’ve asked. Or the four other Republican congressmen from Illinois who couldn’t bring themselves to join Kinzinger and vote to hold the instigator in chief to account. That having been said, while some surely are flat-earthers and anti-vaxxers, 2.5 million Illinoisans voted for Trump. Their issues, be it tax rates, public safety or jobs, need to be addressed. They count. The truth is that, with Republicans in disarray, Illinois Democrats are utterly full of themselves, convinced in their gut they can do what they want because no one will call them to account. I’ll admit the Illinois House recently did finally retire Speaker Mike Madigan—after a decade of bad publicity and a growing series of federal indictments in the Commonwealth Edison scandal, that is. But those same legislative Democrats in that same legislative session also voted to boost Chicago firefighter pensions that the city already can’t pay for, costing hundreds of millions of dollars. The Dems also voted to further boost the bargaining clout of a Chicago Teachers Union that literally wants to own both sides of the bargaining table. Why? Because the unions wanted it, that’s why. And rank-and-file Democratic lawmakers don’t have the guts to say no. What I’m saying is that Illinois Republicans have opportunity, even now. Democrats are quite capable of soiling their own nest. But to reach millions of voters in the middle, the GOP somehow has to cleanse a brand that now is horridly tarnished. Please, give me real choice on Election Day.)

ABC7
— Chicago protest expected as Illinois, US brace for possible unrest leading to Inauguration Day Illinois State Capitol fortified as National Guard responds across country – Evelyn Holmes
(DIERSEN: Ever-increasingly, hate-filled Trump-hating Trump-haters use the Capitol Riot to get rid of Trump-supporters once and for all, and especially to get rid of Trump-supporters who are law enforcement officers, conservative, patriotic, Republican, American, White, male, older, heterosexual, married, non-poor, gun owners, Christian, Protestant, Italian American, German American, and/or those whose ancestors have been in America for a long time. 2,446,891 in Illinois voted for Trump.)
https://abc7chicago.com/chicago-protest-expected-as-il-braces-for-possible-unrest-leading-to-inauguration/9711806/

CHICAGO TRIBUNE
— A ‘new day’ or same old for Illinois taxpayers? – JOHN KASS
https://www.chicagotribune.com/columns/john-kass/ct-illinois-taxpayers-kass-20210116-4qlljytcybftvkuugoqkkncyt4-story.html
— New state House Speaker Emanuel ‘Chris’ Welch made commitments for reform to force out Madigan. Can he keep them? – RICK PEARSON
https://www.chicagotribune.com/politics/ct-illinois-speaker-emanuel-welch-20210116-gpagy25qirh7zmtrva6norlcb4-story.html

CHICAGO SUN-TIMES
— As inauguration in divided nation nears, Illinois getting ready for anything — and hopefully, nothing – Andrew Sullender
(DIERSEN: Ever-increasingly, hate-filled Trump-hating Trump-haters use the Capitol Riot to get rid of Trump-supporters once and for all, and especially to get rid of Trump-supporters who are law enforcement officers, conservative, patriotic, Republican, American, White, male, older, heterosexual, married, non-poor, gun owners, Christian, Protestant, Italian American, German American, and/or those whose ancestors have been in America for a long time. 2,446,891 in Illinois voted for Trump.)
https://chicago.suntimes.com/politics/2021/1/15/22234090/inauguration-illinois-pritzker-trump-biden-springfield-capitol-protests-seige-fbi
— Growing up racist in the shadow of Dr. King – David McGrath
(DIERSEN: Government is nasty. Politics is nasty, Democrats and Democrat plants are nasty. Libertarians and Libertarian plants are nasty. Greens and Green plants are nasty. Independents and Independent plants are nasty. RINOs are nasty. I should write a book about the aforesaid who have demonized, denigrated, and condemned my hometown of Crete the most. They stress that when I lived there 1948-1972, a) most of Crete’s residents were German Lutherans and b) no minorities lived there. They hint/imply/argue/stout that anyone who grew up in Crete when I did is a White supremacist, Nazi, KKK member, hater, racist, sexist, bigot, and even worse things who should be gotten rid of once and for all.)
https://chicago.suntimes.com/columnists/2021/1/14/22231611/chicago-racism-evergreen-park-dr-martin-luther-king-day-cvs-david-mcgrath
— DIERSEN HEADLINE: A hate-filled Trump-hating Trump-hater says “Republicans Wonder How, And If, They Can Pull The Party Back Together.”
https://www.nprillinois.org/post/republicans-wonder-how-and-if-they-can-pull-party-back-together#stream/0

DAILY HERALD
— FRONT PAGE TOP OF FOLD: Stava-Murray restores Facebook page that went dark after ‘viral’ post on police bill – Jake Griffin
https://www.dailyherald.com/news/20210115/stava-murray-restores-facebook-page-that-went-dark-after-viral-post-on-police-bill
(FROM THE ARTICLE: After her vote on the reform bill, Stava-Murray posted a message on the Facebook page that read: “Thin blue line folks: your continued harassment does not help your cause. I’m proud of voting for more police accountability.)

ILLINOIS TIMES
— Illinois politics redux Welch ascension draws scrutiny – Bruce Rushton
https://www.illinoistimes.com/springfield/illinois-politics-redux/Content?oid=13071613

NPR ILLINOIS
— DIERSEN HEADLINE: A hate-filled Trump-hating Trump-hater asks “Can The Forces Unleashed By Trump’s Big Election Lie Be Undone?”
https://www.nprillinois.org/post/can-forces-unleashed-trumps-big-election-lie-be-undone-0#stream/0

WGLT
— DIERSEN HEADLINE: A hate-filled Trump-hating Trump-hater says “McLean County GOP Divided Over Trump, Election Fraud Claims.”
https://www.wglt.org/post/mclean-county-gop-divided-over-trump-election-fraud-claims#stream/0

AMERICAN GREATNESS
— Revenge of the Neocons The conflict between neoconservatives and the Trump base sets up a major battle for which faction will control the Republican Party in the post-Trump era. – Julie Kelly
https://amgreatness.com/2021/01/14/revenge-of-the-neocons/

BREITBART
— Joe Biden Weighs Amnesty Plan for Illegal Aliens in Meeting with Open Borders Lobby – John Binder
https://www.breitbart.com/politics/2021/01/14/joe-biden-weighs-amnesty-plan-for-illegal-aliens-in-meeting-with-open-borders-lobby/

CHRISTIAN POST
— Franklin Graham compares Republicans who voted for Trump’s impeachment to Judas. – Ryan Foley
https://www.christianpost.com/us/franklin-graham-likens-republicans-backing-impeachment-to-judas.html

EPOCH TIMES
— Facebook Blocks Creation of New Events Near Capitols Through Inauguration Day – ZACHARY STIEBER
(DIERSEN: My critics/opponents, their operatives, and their dupes side with Facebook. Facebook is anti-law enforcement, anti-Trump, anti-conservative, anti-patriotic, anti-Republican, anti-American, anti-White, anti-male, anti-older people, anti-heterosexual, anti-traditional marriage, anti-non-poor people, anti-gun owners, anti-Christian, anti-Protestant, anti-Italian American, anti-German American, and/or anti-those whose ancestors have been in America for a long time.)
https://www.theepochtimes.com/facebook-blocks-creation-of-new-events-near-capitols-through-inauguration-day_3659123.html
— Mexican President Mounts Global Campaign Against Big Tech Censorship – BOWEN XIAO
(DIERSEN: My critics/opponents, their operatives, and their dupes side with Big Tech. Big Tech is anti-law enforcement, anti-Trump, anti-conservative, anti-patriotic, anti-Republican, anti-American, anti-White, anti-male, anti-older people, anti-heterosexual, anti-traditional marriage/family, anti-non-poor people, anti-gun owners, anti-Christian, anti-Protestant, anti-Italian American, anti-German American, and/or anti-those whose ancestors have been in America for a long time.)
https://www.theepochtimes.com/mexican-president-mounts-global-campaign-against-big-tech-censorship_3658184.html
— The Endgame of Transgender Ideology Is to Dismantle the Family The stage is being set for the legal marginalization of mothers, fathers, and families by force of law – KIMBERLY ELLS
(DIERSEN: Who takes the lead in destroying traditional marriage and the traditional family in your municipal district, in your municipality, in your township, in your county district, and in your county? I should write a book about those who focus on destroying traditional marriage and the traditional family in Wheaton’s West District, in Wheaton, in Milton Township, in DuPage County’s 4th District, and in DuPage County. I would focus on those who have lots of religious, government, political, and/or financial clout. I would focus on those who focus on getting rid of me.)
https://www.theepochtimes.com/the-endgame-of-transgender-ideology-is-to-dismantle-the-family_3650735.html
— An Ascendant Left Silences and Excludes Its Enemies – Michael Walsh
(DIERSEN: I should write a book about present and past leaders of the following who are/were on the left: Illinois Republican Party, DuPage County Republican Central Committee, and Milton Township Republican Organization.)
https://www.theepochtimes.com/an-ascendant-left-silences-and-excludes-their-enemies_3653630.html

LIFE SITE NEWS
— Multiple companies that backed BLM violence, now blacklisting Republicans for electoral objections. Since Wednesday, more than twenty companies have suspended contributions to Republican members of congress who maintained objections to some of Biden’s electoral votes after the January 6 riot in Washington D.C. – Raymond Wolfe
https://www.lifesitenews.com/news/multiple-companies-that-backed-blm-violence-now-blacklisting-republicans-for-electoral-objections
— ‘This is going to be bigger than just one account’: Twitter CEO admits plan for censorship purge. Project Veritas has exposed Twitter CEO Jack Dorsey’s declaration that he will continue to remove accounts from the social media platform. – Dorothy Cummings McLean
https://www.lifesitenews.com/news/this-is-going-to-be-bigger-than-just-one-account-twitter-ceo-admits-to-censorship-on-camera
— Giuliani releases footage of BLM agitator giving riot training before Jan. 6 Capitol storming. John Sullivan, who was charged after telling police officers to stand down at the Capitol, can be seen training rioters how to evade being identified. – Emily Mangiaracina
https://www.lifesitenews.com/news/giuliani-releases-footage-of-blm-agitator-giving-riot-training-before-jan-6-capitol-storming
— Wikipedia founder slams Facebook, Twitter for not silencing Donald Trump sooner. Blame for the Capitol protests is ‘100 percent at the feet of Donald Trump,’ insisted Jimmy Wales, who last fall banned editor profiles from listing support for traditional marriage. – Calvin Freiburger
https://www.lifesitenews.com/news/wikipedia-founder-slams-facebook-twitter-for-not-silencing-donald-trump-sooner

THE HILL
— An attack on America that’s divided Congress — and a nation – MIKE LILLIS AND SCOTT WONG
(DIERSEN: Ever-increasingly, hate-filled Trump-hating Trump-haters use the Capitol Riot a) to get rid of Trump once and for all and b) to get rid of his supporters once and for all.)
https://thehill.com/homenews/house/534535-an-attack-on-america-thats-divided-congress-and-a-nation

POLITICO
— Wall Street’s big wish: Please move on – BEN WHITE and AUBREE ELIZA WEAVER
(DIERSEN: Ever-increasingly, Wall Street sides with those who want to get rid of individuals, organizations, companies, governments, and countries that are law enforcement, Trump supporters, conservative, patriotic, Republican, American, White, male, older, heterosexual, married, non-poor, gun owners, Christian, Protestant, Italian American, German American, and/or those whose ancestors have been in America for a long time.)
https://www.politico.com/newsletters/morning-money/2021/01/14/wall-streets-big-wish-please-move-on-792783

CNN
— DIERSEN HEADLINE: Hate-filled Trump-hating Trump-haters glorify and praise those who promote hatred against Trump.
https://www.cnn.com/2021/01/15/health/people-challenging-bad-behavior-partner-wellness/index.html

NEW YORK TIMES
— DIERSEN HEADLINE: Hate-filled Trump-hating Trump-haters say “Hell, Yes, Republicans Are Headed for a Bitter Internal Showdown.”
https://www.nytimes.com/2021/01/16/us/politics/republicans-trump-leadership.html
— The Big Promises Biden Is Making – Giovanni Russonello
(DIERSEN: Constructively, Biden promises to use the federal government a) to take opportunities, income, and assets away from those in Group A and b) to give those opportunities, income, and assets to those in Group B. Those in Group A are law enforcement, Trump supporters, conservative, patriotic, Republican, American, White, male, older, heterosexual, married, non-poor, gun owners, Christian, Protestant, Italian American, German American, and/or those whose ancestors have been in America for a long time and those in Group B are anti-law enforcement, anti-Trump, anti-conservative, anti-patriotic, anti-Republican, anti-American, anti-White, anti-male, anti-older people, anti-heterosexual, anti-traditional marriage, anti-non-poor people, anti-gun owners, anti-Christian, anti-Protestant, anti-Italian American, anti-German American, and/or anti-those whose ancestors have been in America for a long time.)
https://www.nytimes.com/2021/01/15/us/politics/biden-plans.html

WASHINGTON POST
— JANUARY 20, 2017 FLASHBACK: Inauguration protesters vandalize, set fires, try to disrupt Trump’s oath, as police arrest more than 200 – Theresa Vargas, Taylor Hartz and
Peter Hermann
https://www.washingtonpost.com/local/protesters-bring-shouts-skirmishes-and-shutdowns-to-inauguration-celebration/2017/01/20/00ea4c72-df11-11e6-acdf-14da832ae861_story.html

WALL STREET JOURNAL
— Boss Madigan Falls at Last Illinois gets a new House speaker, but the system of public-union dominance survives. – Editorial
https://www.wsj.com/articles/boss-madigan-falls-at-last-11610754243
— How the Capitol Riot Thrust Big American Companies Deeper Into Politics Corporate moves to decry the forces behind the Jan. 6 riot accelerate a broader movement in business to address social and political issues. Emily Glazer and Chip Cutter
(DIERSEN: Ever-increasingly, “Big American Companies” make it clear that they want to get rid of individuals, organizations, companies, governments, and countries that are law enforcement, Trump supporters, conservative, patriotic, Republican, American, White, male, older, heterosexual, married, non-poor, gun owners, Christian, Protestant, Italian American, German American, and/or those whose ancestors have been in America for a long time.)
https://www.wsj.com/articles/capitol-riot-business-trump-biden-11610591424
— ‘Vandalize’: A Term for Barbarism, From the Sacking of Rome to the Storming of the Capitol. The Latin name for a marauding ancient Germanic tribe made its way into the new article of impeachment against Donald Trump. – Ben Zimmer
(DIERSEN: I should write a book about my critics/opponents, their operatives, and their dupes who have stressed the strongest that I am 100% national origin and that my ancestors immigrated during the 1840s and 1850s from what is now Germany. In my defense, I stress that according to http://dna.ancestry.com , my ancestry is 33% Europe West, 28% Scandinavia, 24% Great Britain, 11% Ireland, 2% Europe East, 1% Finland/Northwest Russia, and 1% Italy/Greece.)
https://www.wsj.com/articles/vandalize-a-term-for-barbarism-from-the-sacking-of-rome-to-the-storming-of-the-capitol-11610574348
(FROM THE ARTICLE: The original vandals were a Germanic people who sacked Rome in 455 AD, after overrunning Gaul, Spain and northern Africa. The Latin name for the tribe was the “Vandali,” plural of “Vandalus.” That was simply the Roman version of the name used by tribal members themselves in an early Germanic language . . .According to Andy Merrills, a professor of ancient history at the University of Leicester, Grégoire’s coinage ended up demonizing the Germanic tribe of Vandals by making them symbols of chaos, ensuring that they would be “remembered solely for their violence and destruction.”)
— More Restaurants Resist Indoor-Dining Bans as Restrictions Remain. States have stepped up enforcement of the rules, heightening the risk for restaurants. – Heather Haddon
https://www.wsj.com/articles/more-restaurants-resist-indoor-dining-bans-as-restrictions-remain-11610727024
(FROM THE ARTICLE: Dean Pappas is stuck between an indoor-dining ban and a hard place. His family has been running the Glen Oak Cafe in Glen Ellyn, Ill., for 43 years. Thanks to carryout and a $57,000 federal loan, Mr. Pappas managed to avoid going out of business when pandemic lockdowns forced him to suspend indoor dining from March to June. The construction of a tent helped him regain a sizable amount of business over the summer. But business plunged in October when the state ordered restaurants in his county to stop offering indoor dining for a second time; it was banned statewide the following month. Mr. Pappas ignored the mandates and kept serving customers indoors at his 160-seat breakfast and lunch restaurant. Nonetheless, sales remain 60% lower from last year. “I’m not making anything,” said Mr. Pappas, 60 years old. “But at least I’m keeping the place going.”)
— DIERSEN HEADLINE: Hate-filled Trump-hating Trump-haters promote hate-filled Trump-hating Trump-haters.
https://www.wsj.com/articles/liz-cheney-shows-what-leadership-looks-like-11610666627
— The ‘Common Carrier’ Solution to Social-Media Censorship. Railroads can’t refuse to carry passengers for their political views. The same rule should apply to online monopolies, legal scholar Richard Epstein argues. – Tunku Varadarajan
(DIERSEN: My critics/opponents want Google to continue to refuse to treat www.gopillinois.com as being a news website. I should write a book about my critics/opponents. I would focus on those who have lots of religious, government, political, and/or financial clout in Wheaton, Milton Township, DuPage County, and Illinois.)
https://www.wsj.com/articles/the-common-carrier-solution-to-social-media-censorship-11610732343
— How the Left Hijacked Civil Rights. For centuries black Americans debated how to overcome racism—but they always emphasized human agency and individual responsibility. – Robert L. Woodson Sr. and Joshua Mitchell
(DIERSEN: Democrats and RINOs use Affirmative Action, Diversity, and Inclusion to get rid of Republicans, and especially Republicans who are law enforcement officers, Trump supporters, conservative, patriotic, Republican, American, White, male, older, heterosexual, married, non-poor, gun owners, Christian, Protestant, Italian American, German American, and/or those whose ancestors have been in America for a long time.)
https://www.wsj.com/articles/how-the-left-hijacked-civil-rights-11610748711
— FRONT PAGE: Joe Biden Vows to Unify America. – Ken Thomas and Sabrina Siddiqui
(DIERSEN: Democrats want to unify the following against Republicans: individuals, organizations, companies, governments, and countries that are anti-law enforcement, anti-Trump, anti-conservative, anti-patriotic, anti-Republican, anti-American, anti-White, anti-male, anti-older people, anti-heterosexual, anti-traditional marriage/family, anti-non-poor people, anti-gun owners, anti-Christian, anti-Protestant, anti-Italian American, anti-German American, anti-those whose ancestors have been in America for a long time, minorities, women, younger people, LGBTQers, non-married, veteran, liberal, moderate, Democrat, Libertarian, Independent, RINO, criminals, boozers, gamblers, stoners, those who are in America illegally, recent immigrants, those who have financial, health, and/or other problems, those who lack education, those who lack work experience, those who lack job skills, etc.)
https://www.wsj.com/articles/joe-biden-vows-to-unify-america-that-job-has-become-dramatically-harder-11610723681

NATIONAL LAW REVIEW
— Can Employers Fire Rioters? Employers’ Rights in Policing Employee Off-Duty Conduct and Employment Law Consequences of the Capitol Riots (DIERSEN: I attended a Bob Dole rally in Wheaton in 1996. That made my Democrat GAO superiors, supervisors, coworkers, and subordinates furious. SEE: https://www.washingtonpost.com/archive/politics/1996/07/05/dole-takes-pulse-of-the-heartland/913b56e4-dd07-4491-9bb3-7de45ad54d5f/ )
https://www.natlawreview.com/article/can-employers-fire-rioters-employers-rights-policing-employee-duty-conduct-and

Author: David Diersen

The opinions that I express in GOPUSA ILLINOIS emails are based on experience that I have gained doing many things since 1948. I base my opinions on what I learned a) working for the federal government for almost 30 years -- Post Office 1966-1969, IRS 1971-1980, and GAO 1980-1997, serving on the Executive Committee of the Association of Government Accountants Chicago Chapter 1983-1996, and being a union member while I worked for the Post Office and IRS; b) earning an MBA from Loyola in 1976, a masters degree in accounting from DePaul in 1980, and a masters degree in financial markets and trading from IIT in 1997; c) passing the CPA examination on my first attempt in 1979 and passing the Certified Internal Auditor examination on my first attempt in 1981; c) serving as a Republican Precinct Committeeman since 1999, the GOPUSA Illinois Editor since 2000, the TAPROOT Republicans of Illinois Chairman 2005-2012, a member of the 2008 Illinois Republican Party (IRP) Platform and Resolutions Committee, a Wheaton Chamber of Commerce Government Affairs Committee member 2003-2011, the Milton Township Republican Central Committee webmaster 2008-2010 and 2000-2004, an Illinois Center Right Coalition Steering Committee member 2003-2007, and an American Association of Political Consultants Midwest Chapter board member 2001-2004; d) attending the 2000, 2004, 2008, 2012, and 2016 IRP State Conventions as a delegate; e) being the subject of a nasty 4-page article in the February 1978 issue of Money Magazine; f) pursing litigation including Diersen v. GAO and Diersen v. Chicago Car Exchange; g) being married since 1978; h) living in Crete 1948-1972, in University Park 1972-1976, in Chicago 1976-1978, and in DuPage County, Milton Township, and Wheaton since 1978; and i) being baptized, raised, and confirmed as a Missouri Synod Lutheran.