Surviving crew member thought phone charging station might have sparked boat fire

Roy Hauser, who designed the Conception and commissioned its construction in 1981, suggested another. He said he thought, based in part on footage he viewed of the wood-hulled boat being ravaged by fire, that the blaze started in the bunk area and spread so rapidly that the 34 people there could not get out.

LA Times  "One of the crew members aboard the dive boat Conception hadn’t been asleep long when a noise jolted him awake.
"He swung open the door of the wheelhouse — the top level of the 75-foot boat, located just above the galley — and was greeted by flames.
"As the fire raged in the predawn hours of Labor Day, the vessel’s captain made a frantic mayday call to the Coast Guard. Then he and four crew members jumped from the wheelhouse and climbed into a dinghy to get help from the Grape Escape, a fishing boat anchored nearby off Santa Cruz Island.
"Once aboard, the crew member who had been jolted awake shook as he recounted the horrific story to Grape Escape owner Shirley Hansen. His theory, Hansen said, was that the fire started in the galley, where cellphones and cameras had been plugged in to charge overnight.
" 'The impression I got was that the fire was already too big to do anything,” Hansen said in an interview Wednesday.
"The cause of the fire, which killed 34 people, is now the subject of an intensive investigation by the National Transportation Safety Board, the U.S. Coast Guard and other federal and county agencies. Investigators are trying to determine where and how it started." . . .

2014: How dangerous are phone chargers?

For example, if a product is charged on a flammable surface, that increases the chance of a fire spreading.

 Is it possible for a charger to catch fire when it is plugged into the wall but not charging anything?

The majority of electronics stay plugged in all the time. Jimmy Carter was ranting about this in the 70's. They do not cause a lot of fires spontaneously. The number isn't zero, but neither is the number of people struck by lightning.

A Calgary man found out first-hand how charging cell phones and other devices can pose a fire hazard.   . . .

• Locate your battery recharging station in a safe area, such as a tabletop clear of any other objects – never near anything flammable. Be careful not to overload any power bars or outlets.
• Whenever possible, recharge batteries while you are present in the home. Have a working smoke detector in the room where the batteries are being recharged, and make sure a fire extinguisher is nearby if needed.
• Shut off battery-powered devices, such as laptops and tablet computers, when they are not in use
• Do not leave laptops, tablets, cellphones or similar devices unattended on couches or beds, or in other areas where they may overheat and come into contact with potentially flammable materials. Ensure good air circulation around devices at all times.

10 tips to keep your phone from overheating

5 tips on how to stop your phone from overheating:

1. Avoid direct sunlight to your phone. The easiest way to prevent overheating is to keep your phone out of the sun. Your phone catches light and heat from the sun and retains it, getting hotter the longer it remains in sunlight and heat.
2. Turn off unused apps on your phone. Open, unused apps running in the background cause your phone to work harder, which in turn causes it to heat up. The solution is super simple – on an iPhone, for example, all you have to do is press your home button twice and swipe the apps away. Bonus: this will also increase your phone’s battery life.
3. Avoid turning your screen brightness up. Just the same as running background apps, turning your brightness up will force your battery to work harder and create more heat. Instead, look for an anti-glare cover for your device. This low cost solution can help you see your screen in the sun.
4. Turn your phone to airplane mode. Airplane mode allows you to continue to use basic functions on your phone, but turns off other non-essentials that can take a toll on your battery.
5. Take your case off. If your phone is overheating, your case isn’t helping. Taking the case off will allow the phone’s heat vents to do their job fully without being blocked, allowing your phone to cool down quicker.

Nadler's ship has sailed

Rich Terrell

Moment Of Sanity: The View Trashes Hollywood Actress’ Call To Put Trump Donors On An Enemies List

Matt Vespa

"For once, there was sanity on The View. And it was Whoopi Goldberg and Joy Behar, who make up the core of the liberal wing of the ladies’ table, that were trashing Will and Grace star Debra Messing’s call to pretty much create an enemies’ list that named all the folks who donate to Donald Trump’s re-election effort. Of course, these clowns will say they don’t want violence to befall the people that they doxx, but no one is that dense. Okay—maybe in Hollywood, that’s the case—but there is not doubt that given the rise of left-wing extremism in the country that’s going underreported—cough* Antifa cough*–these folks will be harassed. And yes, there is a chance those targeted could end up being inflicted with bodily harm. Liberal America is insane.
"Goldberg and Behar were apt to point this out and to note that this is America, you can vote for Republicans without fear. Rep. Joaquin Castro (D-TX) created a firestorm in early August when he publicly disclosed the names of those who donated to Trump in his district. Some of those people had donated to him, which makes this move even more idiotic. Castro said he didn’t doxx anyone and does not wish violence or harassment to follow, but that’s exactly what happened because this is the real world, Juli—you insufferable moron. If The View gets it, so can you, congressman (via Newsbusters):
. . . 

But make no mistake, this is what the Left is going to do next year. They’re coming after us. We don’t vote with them, so we’re trash. Who cares what the Left thinks? Who cares what the liberal media thinks? If you support Trump, just don’t forget to vote on Election Day. Remind your friends, your neighbors, and your like-minded patriots to vote on Election Day. Also, don’t be queasy if attacked, fight back. And fight back with brutal fervor. 

Whoopi Goldberg Blasts Eric McCormack, Debra Messing For Hollywood Blacklist
"Neither "Will & Grace" star Debra Messing nor Eric McCormack are getting a lot of love from their Hollywood colleagues for openly promoting the blacklisting of conservatives working in the industry." . . .

Are Key Republican Leaders in D.C. Being Blackmailed?

“ . . .So now the Democrats are able to intimidate people into quitting elective office because they might be heckled at a restaurant or worse? There may be something to it. If we’re talking about people that haven’t been willing to fight for what they believe in, that could be a partial explanation." Rush Limbaugh

Trump alone stood up to this

2015; Wayne Allyn Root  "Are key Republican leaders in D.C. from the Senate, House and Supreme Court being blackmailed? Tell me you haven’t thought the exact same thing?" . . .
"Because what’s happening just isn’t normal. Please tell me how it’s possible that President Obama and his socialist cabal suffered the most massive and historic defeat in modern political history only 9 months ago- and since then they’ve gotten everything they’ve ever wanted handed to them on a silver platter. Does that make sense to you?
. . . "They are watching everything we do, everything we say, text, email, take out of our bank accounts. They know if we spit on the street. They know if we are having a fight with our spouse. They know what tax deductions we take. They know what stocks we own. Why is all that important? Because if you only use that information against the key members of one party, you control the country."

• Ask Dennis Hasert.
• Ask General David Petreus- they knew he was having an affair. Now he has a criminal record.
• Ask former Virginia Governor Bob McDonnell. He’s going to prison for stuff so minor, it almost makes you laugh. It’s almost as minor as taking your own money out of your own bank account.

We knew back then in 2015 that Democrats were capable of this. We saw it again when they congratulated themselves on destroying the life and family of Judge Kavanaugh and are open about continuing to persecute this good and decent man. Where will we ever find worthy and courageous people to go against the more and more radical left? (Kavanaugh-focused protests planned for next month)

Sept 4th, 2019: Why Are So Many House Republicans Retiring? From Rush Limbaugh: . . . "But yet another Republican’s retiring. Retiring! Why? Now, people will say, “Well, Rush, I’ll tell you what it is. The truth be known: There’s a bunch of Republicans that just can’t stand Trump.” That’s not what it is. That’s what they want you to think. That’s not what it is. You know what I think’s going on? I think — and don’t doubt me on that. I can’t prove this ’cause this is just a supposition. But I think based on how I have seen Democrats and their operatives act, I think — and that given that nobody, no human being is clean and pure as the wind-driven snow.

"We’ve all got something in our closets. We’ve all done something that we don’t want people to know about. I think the Democrats are finding dirt, and they’re going to these Republicans, and they’re saying, “Do you want people to know about this? We are glad to publicize this about you.” “Oh, no, no. No, no! Please don’t.” “Well, okay. Then you gotta retire.” Now, I can’t prove it, but some of this stuff — and some of it may be legitimate. I mean, people retiring after ten years, they may think it’s enough. It’s five terms.

"But it’s a lot of power to be giving up. But it just seems to be that these retirements are predominantly Republican, and it’s all happening under the radar. You hear about another retirement here, retirement there. They never add up in your mind. They’re all indiscriminate, little isolated stories — and what’s odd? Nothing’s odd about somebody retiring from Congress. But it seems there’s an exorbitant number of Republicans doing so, and I just have my suspicions about it. That’s all." . . .

. . . "But do not doubt me when I say that no human being is free of embarrassments that have accumulated over the course of his or her lifetime. I wouldn’t doubt some of these Democrats digging this stuff up… Look at the tweets that people write as teenagers that are coming back and destroying them five and six years later — which, by the way, I predicted. When I knew this was gonna happen… Remember the name Krystal Ball with a K? Some thought she was attractive. She was running for Congress, and she got elected, and some tweets came out.

"She posed nude when she 14 or 15. She was outraged. “How dare you!” I said, “What do you expect to happen? You put a picture of yourself nude on Facebook or MySpace or, you know, My Butt, whatever it is. Somebody’s gonna find that stuff.” I think some of that is going on, and it’s being used to… Dare I say the word “blackmail”? But threaten members. Now, as I say, the Republicans can do this, too, and they may be doing it in certain places. I don’t know." . . .

Rep. Bill Flores becomes 15th House Republican to announce plans to exit chamber

Beto the beta male apologizes for being, well, Robert Francis O'Rourke

At least Obama mainly apologized for his country; O'Rourke seems sorry for having been on this planet. Can he also be sorry for his Irish privilege? TD

‘Morning Joe’ to Beto O’Rourke: ‘Do Not Apologize for Being White’ and for...and for...and for...

“Beto stop apologizing. Do not apologize for being in Vanity Fair. Do not apologize for having a very rich father-in-law, own it. Do not apologize for taking Republican positions in the past,” Scarborough said. “Do not apologize for being white, do not apologize for being privileged.”  “Or for being a man,” co-host Mika Brzezinski added."  . . . "When he has made news, it has often been in response to activists who have demanded various forms of apology or contrition for “privileges” they accuse him of having for one reason or another." . . .

Beto O’Rourke Apologizes for His College-Newspaper Theater Review   Still, O’Rourke apologized, offering Politico this statement: “I am ashamed of what I wrote and I apologize. There is no excuse for making disrespectful and demeaning comments about women,” he said.

“Beto O’Rourke apologized Friday night for writings the former Texas representative made as a teenager describing fantasies about running over children with a vehicle,” reports the Daily Caller.  OK, now that was needed.

Too bland? I'm sorry.

Beto Complains About His ‘Privilege,’ Agrees Vanity Fair Cover was ‘Elitist’  . . . "White. Male. Privilege. Is anyone else sick of white males having to apologize for their race and sex?

"Give me a break. He expects this to relaunch his campaign? Because we all want a sad little man as the leader of this country." . . .

“Beto, whatever his name is, he’s apologized for being born,” Bloomberg said to laughter from the audience.  . . . “ 'It’s just not going to happen on a national level for somebody like me, starting where I am, unless I was willing to change all my views and go on what CNN called ‘an apology tour,’” he said, referencing some of his would-be opponents. “Joe Biden went out and apologized for being male, over 50, white.  . . .

Beto O'Rourke apologized to the staff of his Texas Senate campaign for being a 'giant a**hole' during the competitive, high-pressure 2018 contest  . . . "He apologized for [his] quote - which was criticized for being condescending and reeking of male privilege. "But he had to apologize again a short time later for telling a crowd in Iowa his wife is 'is raising, sometimes with my help,' their three kids." . . .

Nevertheless, Beto pivoted quickly from joking to groveling, appearing on a podcast to self-flagellate about his “white male privilege” and to apologize:  . . . "The real privilege Beto O’Rourke benefits from right now isn’t that of being white, or male, or having a supportive spouse. It’s the privilege he enjoys as a liberal media darling, lavished with attention befitting a celebrity (and spared, during his Texas senate race against Ted Cruz, from unpleasant stories about his youth by news outlets that were happy to bury bad news for him)." . . .  His "leftist privilege" as it were. TD

Beto O'Rourke: I have enjoyed white privilege

. . . "The real privilege Beto O’Rourke benefits from right now isn’t that of being white, or male, or having a supportive spouse. It’s the privilege he enjoys as a liberal media darling, lavished with attention befitting a celebrity (and spared, during his Texas senate race against Ted Cruz, from unpleasant stories about his youth by news outlets that were happy to bury bad news for him)." . . .

Ex-Trump strategist calls Beto O'Rourke a beta male  . . . " 'I describe O'Rourke as a 'beta' because that term is for guy who is immature. And from hiding from police after getting busted for a DUI, refusing to admit it years later, to cursing like a misfit teenager at public events to desperately seeking substance-free celebrity on social media, O'Rourke cements his 'beta' status," Braynard said. " . . .

From the Beto grooveyard:

Dramatic new before and after aerial photos show how parts of the Bahamas were obliterated by 185mph hurricane

Daily Mail  "Dramatic new before and after aerial photos show how parts of the Bahamas have been obliterated by winds of up to 185mph during deadly Hurricane Dorian.

"The shocking images depict the waste laid to the small keys that make up the Abaco Islands, north of Nassau, as ships were blown into harbors, thousands of houses were destroyed and seawater surged on to land.

"One image shows sailing vessels hundreds of meters on shore after being forced to run aground during the vicious hurricane which hit the area on Tuesday.

"Another pictures what was an area made up of scorched earth and narrow trees around Marsh Harbour Airport, now lying waterlogged and closely resembling a mangrove.

"Hurricane Dorian's center is moving parallel to Florida's northeastern coast as its outer bands threaten the Sunshine State with torrential rains and tropical storm-force winds.

"It has left at least seven dead in the Bahamas, where the prime minister said terrified residents had endured 'days of horror' at the hands of the monster storm." . . .

We Don't Trust You

Ann Coulter

It's not the underlying issue in any of these examples that's the problem -- it's the flouting of the democratic process. I'm not saying: We trusted you and got a bad result. I am saying: We trusted you, but you abandoned the Constitution and the law to get the result that you could not win honestly.

     "Like all Americans, I've been deeply moved and horrified by the recent spate of mass shootings. Surely, I thought, there must be some commonsense gun regulations that could put an end to the carnage -- red-flag laws, longer waiting periods, age limits, something!
     "Leaving aside the usual suspects, who are rushing to the microphones to demand the immediate confiscation of all guns, liberals are appealing to us to come together in good faith and formulate a plan to keep guns out of the hands of these monsters, using fair process and common sense.
     "The only problem is that no one on their side believes in good faith, fair process or common sense. Here's the reality: We don't trust the other side, nor should we.
Americans used to be able to rely on two bulwarks to protect us from stupidity:

1) Legal process -- The genius of our founders was to strictly limit the power of capricious, and often armed, government officials and to create a government of laws that made major changes difficult, but not impossible." . . .2) Common sense -- We also used to be able to assume that a basic reasonableness undergirded our society, flowing across generational lines, political divides, racial differences and policy disputes. Until the 1970s, for example, federal courts mostly enforced actual legal and constitutional rights on the books. The other branches of government tended to perform their roles in good faith -- or at least not in obvious bad faith.

     "Whether you were a Taft Republican or a JFK Democrat, you believed that we had a border, that people here illegally would be processed according to law, that there were two sexes, that free speech was a hallmark of our nation, and that a kid could dress up as a cowboy or Indian for Halloween without being branded a "racist."
. . . 
. . . "Surely, we can count on the next generation to believe in free speech down to the marrow of their bones. They clearly understand that college campuses, whatever else they are, must always be bastions of open inquiry and far-reaching debate. They obviously recognize the wisdom and majesty of the Constitution's Electoral College.

Nope! None of that is true.

"Actress Debra Messing is collecting names of Trump supporters for a new Hollywood blacklist. Armed and masked left-wing brown-shirts patrol the streets of Portland, Oregon, beating up suspected Trump supporters. I tweet, "It's a nice day," and 2,000 people respond that they hope I will die." . . .

The Brains Behind AOC Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez

Royal Diadem Magazine . . . "Rather than Ocasio-Cortez actually running for a position in government because she desired to affect change, she is a paid “actor” who auditioned with the group Justice Democrats after her brother nominated her. Ocasio-Cortez was chosen by this outside political action committee out of more than 10,000 nominations to be the new mouthpiece to do the PAC’s bidding. You can view the video here, made before the exit of Saikat Chakrabarti:

Saikat Chakrabarti, and the organization Justice Democrats has some interesting history:

Comment to this post: They tapped a personality, just like they did with Barack Obama. Did anyone really think Obama was promoted in 2008 because of his accomplishments? That is too silly to even consider. They put him in a suit and propped him up because he's a charismatic black guy who would further their agenda to destroy America, and it's literally that simple.

The Wizards Behind Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez’s Oz  
. . . "The words socialist and progressive are, of course, just euphemisms for communism, so rather than just continue to make sport of Ocasio-Cortez, which is admittedly fun, we need to peel back the onion and see just who is behind this fresh crop of outsiders infiltrating the nation’s Capitol. The men behind the curtain in Ocasio-Cortez’s Oz are Cenk Uygur, of the Young Turks, Saikat Chakrabarti, Ocasio-Cortez’s Chief of Staff, and Zack Exley, a board member of the Charlotte-based PAC Brand New Congress." . . .

AOC's Chief of Staff Saikat ChakrabartiIs Out. Is Pelosi to Blame?  "Last week, House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) met with Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-N.Y.) right before the August recess. On Friday, one week later, AOC's office announced that her chief of staff and early patron, Saikat Chakrabarti, is leaving for a liberal nonprofit focused on the Green New Deal. Chakrabarti had made many high-profile flubs recently, but his worst offense involved a scathing attack on moderate Democrats. It is highly probable that Pelosi asked AOC to oust Chakrabarti in exchange for something AOC wanted." . . .

Saikat Chakrabarti, the brain behind Ocasio-Cortez to leave office  . . . "Chakrabarti has also been at the center of legal controversy. In April, he and Ocasio-Cortez were named in a Federal Election Commission complaint accusing them of overseeing a "shadowy web" of political action committees (PACs) that allowed them to raise more cash than they could have legally. The complaint also alleged that a limited liability company (LLC) was created to avoid federal expenditure requirements by offering Ocasio-Cortez and other Democratic candidates political consulting services at a price so low that the company apparently shut down before the election was even over." . . .

Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez’s Chief of Staff, Comms Director Depart  . . . "After the rebuke, Pelosi’s allies within the Congressional Black Caucus (CBC) moved simultaneously to defend the Speaker and attack the freshman congresswoman. A number of the CBC’s members, including Rep. William Lacy Clay (D-MO), directed their anger at both Ocasio-Cortez and her chief of staff.

“ 'It shows you how ignorant and little history [Chakrabarti] knows, how ignorant he is to American history. How dare he,” Clay told The Hill.

"The Missouri Democrat extended his criticism to Justice Democrats, the group started by Chakrabart to support left-leaning primary challenges to establishment Democrats.

“I find it juvenile, their tactics, I find their ignorance to be beyond belief about American history and about who are really segregationists,” Clay said. “And so how dare they try to play the race card at this point, it shows you the weakness of their arguments.”

"Other moderates appeared to echo the sentiment, with some even anonymously calling for Chakrabarti’s ouster." . . .

 Allie Beth Stuckey on Backlash Over Video Spoofing Ocasio-Cortez.  

AOC would be a laugh riot if not for those behind her election. TD

A Perfect Distillation of Beto O’Rourke

National Review

"To make bastard use of the Lionel Trilling phrase, Beto O’Rourke’s bid for the White House has been but a series of “irritable mental gestures which seek to resemble ideas.”

"O’Rourke’s campaign has wandered about the political wilderness in pursuit of some transcendent “moment,” one that might elevate it above that which it most plainly is: an ego trip for Robert Francis O’Rourke, who will not be the Democratic nominee, and never, in truth, was anything more than an heir to the Jon Ossoff–mania that so exercised a certain sort of MSNBC viewer. The Blue Wave has come and gone, but Beto O’Rourke has not.

"Beto went on CNN on Sunday desperate for a viral moment, one that might energize his campaign. It came while discussing the spate of mass shootings, when O’Rourke casually dropped the F-bomb mid-sentence, delivered with a certitude that captured the very essence of his candidacy — a caricature of authenticity. The vulgarity is shorthand meant to show that Beto is really serious, serious in a way you might not divine from his profligate use of a skateboard or insistence that the public watch him at the dentist. If you’re unconvinced, consider that in the immediate aftermath of the CNN interview, O’Rourke’s website started selling— what else? – profanity-laden t-shirts in honor of the episode.

"He is so serious.

15

"O’Rourke uses profanity as shorthand for seriousness. He skateboards as a crude stand-in for verve. His tabletop jeremiads beg for an energy from the audience that he does not and will never inspire. Clunky Spanish sentences delivered without a hint of affect are recited as though it they were genuine outreach. His trite bumper stickers are pathetic simulacra of the thoughtful, if misguided, policy solutions offered by some of his peers.

"The flashes of emotion and patented stop-start cadence belie O’Rourke’s capacity to pursue that most elusive — and demanding! — task: to traffic in the realm of ideas rather than mimetic innuendo. The CNN F-bomb is not merely a distillation of the O’Rourke campaign. It is the O’Rourke campaign: glorified performance art, laden with that most noxious pretense that voters will fall for it. Thus far, to their credit, they haven’t." . . .

The 'It's Easier To Buy A Gun Than Cold Medicine' Crowd Just Got Slapped With Reality

Townhall  "Okay—let’s look at the positives of this story. A Business Insider reporter, Hayley Peterson, tried to buy a gun at Walmart to test “the placement, selection, marketing, and security of firearms in Walmart's stores, and to learn more about the retailer's processes governing gun sales.” In other words, she wanted to make sure that background checks work. So, she’s going to try and buy a gun, which is something that tens of millions of Americans have already done. And she walked into a Walmart—a family-owned business that’s anathema to the Left. After the mass shooting in El Paso, Texas, Walmart has been hit with a petition to end all gun sales. 

"During the process, Peterson admits that the process was more complicated than the false narrative that’s peddled by the liberal media, the most popular being that it’s easier to buy a gun than cold medicine. Well, her journey just slapped all those clowns who thought that reality. Background checks are effective. Everyone who goes through a Federal Firearms Licensed dealer to buy their firearms, which is the vast majority of sales in this country, has to undergo a background check. Period. It’s the law (via Business Insider): . . .

Hayley Peterson's article in Business Insider: I tried to buy a gun at Walmart twice, and roadblocks left me empty-handed both times  . . . " 'One person referred me to Walmart's main customer-service line. I called that number and spoke with someone who said he also couldn't help me." 'When it comes to item availability, they don't want us to discuss that because of various reasons," he said."He declined to elaborate on this and said he knew of at least one location near me that didn't sell guns." . . ."I crossed that store off my list." . . .

Storming Back to the Impeachment Charade

Andrew C. McCarthy
Jerry Nadler claims to be conducting an impeachment inquiry, but his committee has never actually voted to have one. Here’s why.

"Elections have consequences. This was a point we tried to make many times in the run-up to the 2018 midterm elections. The Democrats won control of the House fair and square. That means they get to drive the agenda.

Their agenda, kinda sorta, is the impeachment of President Trump — which is to say, the quixotic quest to build political support for it. According to the Washington Post, that effort is about to sink deeper into farce: Hearings on Stormy Daniels and the hush-money payments to conceal trysts that Donald Trump had — allegedly, of course — a decade before he ran for president.

"Such a quest is a two-edged sword, though. If this is how the Democrats choose to spend the public’s time and money, they must be accountable for it. They must be pressured to demonstrate the courage of their anti-Trump convictions. So far, for all the bluster, they’ve gotten away with cowardice.

"Most of the impeachment quasi-action is in the Judiciary Committee, chaired by Representative Jerrold Nadler (D., N.Y.). We have to qualify the word “action” because, while Nadler claims to be conducting an impeachment inquiry, his committee has never actually voted to have one.

"This reflects the political needle Democrats cannot thread." . . .

How One Professor’s Angry Censorship Backfired

Alliance Defending Freedom

"Nothing.

"That’s what Bernadette Tasy had to show for her pro-life efforts on the Fresno State University campus, as the school year drew to a close. 

"She and a friend had launched a Students for Life group that fall, gaining only a few non-committal members – and some angry resistance from other students.

"Discouragement nagged at Bernadette as she planned one final effort for the school year.

"For her club’s last major activity, she had secured the university’s permission to create pro-life chalk messages along the main mall of the campus.

"The group had just finished the task when a professor approached. Greg Thatcher, who taught public health, made it clear he didn’t like what they were doing.

"Moments later, Bernadette saw a circle of students – enlisted by Thatcher – smearing out her club’s messages with their feet. Stunned, she pulled out her phone to record video of what was happening.

“ 'College campuses are not free speech areas,” the professor snarled. By then, Thatcher himself was working to deface and destroy the messages – claiming that he was exercising his own free speech. 

"Bernadette walked away shaken, but determined to stand up for her rights. Ultimately, she took legal action with the help of Alliance Defending Freedom.

"And what Thatcher meant for harm, God used for good.

"Her video confrontation with the professor was posted and went viral, drawing attention to both her case and her pro-life cause. Six months later, her Students for Life group won a resounding victory for free speech on her campus.

"And, in the middle of it all, they also helped save a life…

"Learn more about Bernadette’s story in the latest issue of Faith & Justice.