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WisconsinChristianNews.com
Volume 26, Issue 8
The Blessings of Local Businesses
By Attorney Al Spiegel, McLario, Helm, Bertling & Spiegel Law Offices (See display ad on Page 40 of
tomers take all of their business, includ- ing the purchase of items that are avail- able in the local store, and give it to the online warehouse. Further, if people will buy items from local stores, those local stores are very likely to stock them.
uct however it wishes. It doesn’t have to worry about people complaining to it be- cause it’s not a human. Local busi- nesses hold large merchants in check with capitalistic competition, an essen- tial part of a healthy economy. Benefit Number 3: Shopping Local Creates Connections When local churches or charitable or- ganizations raise funds for projects or activities, the first people in the commu- nity they approach are small business owners. They know those owners care about the community and want good things for it. If those businesses cease to exist, that pool of assets available to pour back into the community will shift to a boardroom far away and will never come back to the community where it belongs. While many of the points in this article do not have much to do with the practice of law, my work for my clients involves protecting them, their families and their communities. As believers, this transfer of business from local companies to multinational ones threatens that pro- tection and the well-being of our commu- nities, and we need to be willing to do a little extra work to preserve the underap- preciated backbone of our economy and culture: local small businesses. So, the next time you have a purchase to make, call a local business first and give them a chance. Make the online gi- ants the last resort instead of the only one. McLario.com omy 25:1) upon the heads of the lawbreakers, or are they just fueling the lawless hate narrative (2 Corinthi- ans 11:14-15) that they are responsible for creating, inciting and feebly defending when it comes to their favorite unconstitutional politicians or party (Psalm 94:20)? They are not a threat to the establishment. Instead, they are there to prop it up. The “truth” they claim to tell is liberating no one. Rather, it is confus- ing their listeners, and it’s all by design (Daniel 9:7). I also went into a local church where a pastor had two-armed security guards on each side of him as he walked into his congregation of 50 people. Friends, this was a mere exhibition on this man’s part of arrogance and pride in elevating himself above those whom he is to serve (Mark 10:45). The bottom line is that the above mentioned are all serving themselves in one way or another. In no way am I demeaning the 2nd Amendment. We have every right to carry and to defend ourselves, but those who gloat in their security detail are saying nothing remotely offensive to those who claim to be enemies of the righteous in this government. In fact, they are doing just the opposite. On a personal note, I have spoken to over 365 high schools in 25 states, colleges around the country, tea parties, churches, and other public events over 3,000 times, and I cannot tell you how many times I wasn’t sure if I was going to be shot down during those times. On top of this, I have experienced ha- rassment, death threats, and unrelenting attacks by the same mainstream media “useful idiots” who, in many cases, have these security details (Matthew 5:10-12). I have never one time asked for or even requested a security detail. I have trusted the Lord, who has appointed me for the mission ahead to fulfill. He is more than able to protect me while I accomplish it. “It is better to trust in the LORD than to put confi- dence in man.” – Psalm 118:8. “If we obey His voice ‘and do all that I speak,’ says the Lord, ‘then I will be an enemy unto thine ene- mies, and an adversary unto thine adversaries.’” (Ex- odus 23:22). If you are a Christian, you know “The angel of the LORD encampeth round about them that fear Him, and delivereth them.” (Psalm 34:7). What security detail did Jesus, the apostles or the prophets have before they were martyred?
Benefit Number 1: Shopping Local Supports Local Jobs Patronizing local businesses not only provides us with the benefits of commu- nity and movement that are vital to our
this issue of WCN) January 2026
Now that another hol- iday shopping season
has passed, an alarming trend is becom- ing more and more prevalent among be- lievers. Often for misguided reasons, believers are increasingly likely to pa- tronize large corporations than they are to give their business to local merchants. This reflects three misconceptions and ignores three benefits of doing business with our neighbors. Misconception Number 1: “Local peo- ple don’t need to know my business.” Many of us feel safer and more under the radar when we do business with far- away corporations as opposed to local merchants. We don’t see a human being looking at our purchases, so we feel our purchases are anonymous. Unfortu- nately, the opposite is true. While local merchants generally appreciate your business and protect your information, online and large corporate merchants routinely sell your data so that it is not only available, but also used to market to you for years to come. Misconception Number 2: “Local stores don’t have what I need.” It is certainly impossible for a local, brick-and-mortar store to compete with an online warehouse when the desired trinket is rare, and that may indeed be an appropriate use of the online store. The problem arises, however, when cus-
spiritual and physical health, but it also ensures that local businesses can em- ploy our neighbors. Local businesses that are not controlled by distant boards of directors and overseas interests that serve causes we would cringe even to discuss. Those businesses then put money back into our communities, keep- ing a critical cycle spinning for another generation. Benefit Number 2: Shopping Local Controls Prices When one large merchant is the only place for people to buy a certain product, that large merchant can price that prod-
Misconception Number 3: “It’s so much easier to shop online.” As believers, we are not to make deci- sions on comfort and ease; we are to make decisions in line with the Word of God. In John 13:34-35, Jesus tell us, “A new commandment I give to you, that you love one another: just as I have loved you, you also are to love one another. By this all people will know that you are My dis- ciples, if you have love for one another.” Who is encouraged when we shop at a local store? Who in our community could use our reflection of the love of Jesus?
Why Do All These People Have A Security Detail? By Bradlee Dean, Sons of Liberty January 2026
SonsOfLibertyRadio.com
I was just in Washington DC standing in front of the people’s White House and noticed the high armed security detail, along with a fence that is now 13 feet high. Why is that? Why are they protecting them- selves against the people that they are to serve? Note: The original fence around the White House was a wooden post-and-rail fence, as it was a simple barrier intended to keep horses from straying rather than to keep people out. However, the steel fences that came later (with bronze tips on their ends) were eventually installed, with the current, much taller fence being a result of evolving security needs. The modern 13-foot steel fence with anti-climb technology is a recent development in the ongoing evolution of the White House perimeter. Do Americans now live in a monarchial system in which “We the People,” who are the government, now serve a king? Not at all. Read Article I, Section 9, Clause 8 of the US Constitution. What is this about then? Why should they have to defend themselves against the people that they are there to serve? Remember, those who reside in the people’s White House are also those who are doing their best to incrementally strip away the people’s God-given rights. When I was in DC most recently, I couldn’t help but notice the massive number of Americans who were protesting the current administration for corruption. This is a far cry from the days of President Harry Tru- man, who when walking down the streets of the Capi- tol with an acquaintance, could be seen shaking the hands of his constituents. Was it that the president was receiving the approbation and appreciation from the people whom he was serving faithfully? I would suggest that it was so. There is another group here as well. I’m talking about all the controlled operatives and paid media in- fluencers. Has it now come to this that we need to have a security detail for telling the truth? The real question here is, who are they serving? Is it the truth that they are telling, or is there more to all of this? Who has warred against the people in this country more than the corrupt in the halls of government, along with the mainstream media? Who has fed into this “divide and conquer” narrative more than the media “influencers?” (Mark 3:25)? Are they now demanding lawful justice (Deuteron-
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