Life Matters

Roe vs. Wade has not been overturned. The media has repeated it, but it’s really not true.  In today’s episode of Life Matters, we’re going to spend some time talking about the meaning of the word ‘overturned’. What does that really mean?  But to answer that, you have to understand what Roe vs. Wade really did. Many people think that Roe vs. Wade simply gave women the right to choose.  We're going to talk about what the Supreme Court really did do in Roe, what it's doing now through the Dobbs Decision and the subsequent decisions which are limiting the power of the judiciary, because that's really what the Dobbs Decision is about. The Dobbs Decision doesn't even talk about protecting life. The Dobbs Decision ignores what Roe vs. Wade actually did. The Dobbs Decision basically said the Supreme Court shouldn't make any laws whatsoever, that the Supreme Court should not have interfered in the states’ decisions and laws. Dobbs ruled on judicial review, and judicial activism. It is silent on abortion's propriety.

If the New York Times celebrates your Christianity, then be afraid. Be very afraid. I must admit that being a professing Christian is not an easy thing, particularly today. I hate religious ‘posturing’ - especially in myself. The scripture is clear: Facts and action are clearly what define true religion. The Pharisee and tax collector, one a false ‘religious’ leader, the other a genuinely broken, penitent man, is one of Christ’s more poignant teachings on this. The Good Samaritan another. How real is your, or my faith? So it is with sadness and carefulness that I must insist mentioning the actual actions: the facts and policies of the late President, James Earl Carter. The recent media swoon and adulation compel me. They swoon precisely because of his policies. They adulate for his leftist, neo-marxist legacy, carefully clothed in wool. While giving us the smiling face of a Southern Baptist Sunday School teacher, Jimmy Carter implemented some of the most family-destructive cultural policies our nation has no

In this episode of Life Matters, Brian explores what’s ahead in 2025 and how the election victory of November is merely the beginning. Brian also explained in detail the nature of his recent illness. His congestive heart failure had him hospitalized for three months - a month and a half in intensive care and a month and a half in cardio recovery care. He is now recovering at home. Brian explains that the year ahead includes many challenges, including the very strong push for killing the medically dependent. Eleven jurisdictions across the United States have currently authorized physician assisted killing. These laws are aimed at the emotionally vulnerable as well as the physically challenged and/or financially challenged. Brian admits that he was emotionally vulnerable, and depressed during his hospitalization and brush with death.  This made him a candidate for physician assisted suicide in California under current California law. Because the law is no longer an advocate, you must be willing to advocate for

In this episode of Life Matters, Commissioner Johnston explores the idea of popular opinion polls. At election time, the media will often present what they claim to be public opinion on the issue of abortion. It is critically important to understand that, very often the general, and unspecific nature of the terms used does not often reflect a valid view of public opinion. More specifically, generic feelings about “choice”, support for Roe, or reproductive freedom do not accurately reflect the average American’s view of abortion particulars. Brian examine’s the current habit for many polling organizations, Pew Research Center as one example, do actually take polls state by state and reach sweeping and generic conclusions. The most common is the statement that the citizens of (fill in the blank) state support all or most abortions. Yet the very terms ‘all’ and ‘most’ are, in fact, contradictory. All means 100%! Most means 50% or more. There is a chasm of difference. And yet this is the most frequently used phra

In this episode of Life Matters, Brian Johnson explains the importance of elections, each and every election.  More importantly, he focuses on the power of your vote the further down the ballot you go.  On a statewide level, your vote is a drop in the bucket.  But as various jurisdictions get smaller, the number of voters also gets dramatically smaller and this is why local elections are so important.  In order to have candidates for the state legislature, or for Congress, you must draw from people with some degree of political experience. Most people who run for these higher offices have had experience at the local level, whether it be school board, city council. or supervisor. Ironically, it is THESE starter positions, where your vote and the vote of your friends, make the greatest impact. By being involved in local elections, you can launch the career of people who share your values and ideals. Many elections for city office and for school board are determined by a relative handful of votes. That handful,

In this episode of Life Matters, Brian Johnston explains the real issues that are at stake. Brian warns listeners of the dangers of popular media culture. He reminds us that Orwell‘s purpose in writing “1984” was actually to portray how the average person responds to a dominant media culture, dedicated to influencing and controlling society.  But there are deeper issues that matter, issues that the media either ignores, misrepresents, or intentionally attacks. In order to be truly responsible for ourselves, our lives, our family, and if we believe in God, responsible to our Maker, we must, yes, we must, dig deeper. Sadly, we live in a culture that appeals to feelings and emotions as our primary source of understanding. These are immediate and surface reactions.  This is very unwise. The media knows exactly how to manipulate feelings. The media knows exactly how to direct those feelings into the wrong ideas. That is what it specializes in.  Advertising, promoting, and getting the masses to go in a certain dire

In this episode of Life Matters, Brian Johnston takes a deep dive into real science. He takes a deep dive into simple grade school science, of basic earth science, basic astronomy as taught in sixth grade, and the common sense science that any fifth or sixth grader can understand. The issue we must clearly destroy, and which is probably the most insidious and clever at this moment, is the whole idea of man-made global warming.  The president of the United States and many internationalists have proclaimed that man-made global warming is the single, in fact the only, true dispositive threat and the ultimate threat to the world.  They are simplistic deceivers. They are themselves deceived. But they are most desirous to deceive the population in order to control them, in order to limit them.  This argument is essential to undercutting the belief that human beings are uniquely significant and their lives should be protected. Man-made global warming argues that human beings are the world’s greatest problem. It argu

In this episode of Life Matters, Brian Johnston takes an even deeper dive into the real significance of the recent presidential debate. Previously, he explored the debate through the eyes of Fox News host, Shannon Bream and United States Senator from Pennsylvania, John Fetterman. But both of those commentators from right and left were dealing with a very facile, surface analysis, particularly focusing on the significance of Joe Biden‘s performance.  But that is what EVERY media outlet has focused on - every Republican and even Democrat pundit has made America focus on that topic. And while competence of the current president is indeed an important topic, the deeper issue of the policies of this president and his party are being skated over. In this episode, Brian discusses the real issue of the Democratic Party and its extreme radical policies on the issues of life and family economics. In fact, every single aspect of life in the United States is being destroyed by the policies of this Democrat Party. Many pr

In this episode of Life Matters, Brian Johnston examines the real implications of the recent presidential debate. Interestingly, he agrees with Pennsylvania Democratic senator, John Fetterman. In an interview with Fox News' Shannon Bream, Fetterman points out that he himself was in apparent mental collapse and his debates with candidate, Dr. Oz of television fame were complete failures due to Fetterman’s slurring and confused use of language. It turns out that Fetterman went on to actually win the election by several points.  Brian points out that the real issues of the most recent presidential debate were not how either Trump or Biden spoke. The real issues in the debate are the ideas, the policies, the laws that are brought to bear by their respective political parties. Politics is about policy. The Democrat Party of America today is the single most radical entity that has ever existed in the United States of America. It is no longer the mildly liberal Democrat Party of perhaps your parents’ generation or e

Who has choice? It’s not women! It was only doctors who were authorized to kill, to decide when to kill and what procedures to use. Yes, in Roe v. Wade choice was given only to doctors. In this episode of Life Matters, Brian Johnston explorers the confusion that many individuals have regarding what happened onJanuary 22, 1973. The Roe v. Wade decision is actually quite direct and explicit. There is no right of a woman to a woman’s own body. Justice Blackmun, the author of Roe, was not giving women the right to do whatever they want, whenever they want, and especially with a very difficult medical procedure like human abortion. Blackmun was explicit in both Roe, and in particular in Doe v. Bolton - only doctors would be authorized to kill. Specifically, they were to be free to decide when, where, how and for what reason, even for no reason in particular, to perform a human abortion. They were the ones given a choice.  Later, Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg, attempting to teach feminists that they still had not ach

In this episode of Life Matters, Brian Johnston discusses the actual nature of how a republic works. It works by representing the people through elected representation. These representatives exist at every level of government and through diversified jurisdictions . Brian interviews Scott Peotter, a long-time pro-life advocate who has served in local jurisdictions and has enforced just laws on the most local levels, including city council. In July 2023, Gavin Newsom attempted, in his role of governor, to force the Temecula school board to promote LGBTQ doctrines and accept Planned Parenthood abortion mandates in that district. The school board, by a very narrow margin, insisted that they are held accountable and will be accountable for the assets of that particular school district and that the governor was functioning as a dictatorial autocrat. The school board prevailed. It is critical to understand, if you care about the direction of our country, that we are a nation and a government that is, “of the people,

In this episode of Life Matters, Brian interviews Alex Schadenberg of the Euthanasia Prevention Coalition. They discuss in depth the recent failure of California Senate Bill 1196 by Senator Blakespear. The irony is that the bill was not defeated by pro-life efforts. The bill was actually attacked by other pro-death organizations, lobbyist and legislators. Why would other pro-death advocates attack this measure? The prospects of passage in the California legislature are very good - the progressive Democratic Party holds a super majority in both houses. The governor would’ve gladly signed off, as he himself has been supportive and wrote of participating in the intentional killing of his own mother before it was even legalized in California. SB 1196, would no longer allow a need for terminal diagnosis, would make provision to kill those who are not a sound mind, and would remove most qualifying limitations on assisted suicide.  The reason the bill was stopped is they knew it would likely pass, and that passage w

In this episode of Life Matters, Commissioner Johnston explains the importance of not being religious in our attempts to change the laws to protect innocent human life. Johnston reminds us that America’s founders were themselves deeply religious individuals, but they understood that many of them had disagreements within their own theologies - differences in doctrine. The answer to this difficult challenge was actually found in the formation of other republics throughout history. A republic asserts that there is more than simple voting and majoritarianism in making law.   Votes must be according to higher laws. The founders referred to this existence of a higher law, a natural law premise, self-evident and ‘revealed in nature’, when they spoke of creating a more just government and founded on the principals of the laws of nature and nature’s God.  It is essential for earnest pro-lifers, now that the various states are free to create new laws regarding abortion, that these pro-life advocates not be merely relig

In this episode of Life Matters, Brian Johnston explores the rapid expansion of medical killing - euthanasia. The pattern for euthanasia advocates is to first establish a right to “assisted suicide” - a form of voluntary euthanasia – and imply that there will be protections from any abuse, and that there will be no expansion of medical killing. California Senate Bill 1169 by Senator Blakespear demonstrates again that once the idea of legalized medical killing is established, it is impossible to monitor or prevent its “It’s okay” expansion.  Currently, it is very difficult to monitor the use of assisted suicide in California facilities. The government is dependent on the honesty of those reporting the actions and there is no penalty for failure to fill out a report.  That being said, the new bill removes the idea that there be a six month prognosis of death. That language is changed to “a grievous and irremediable medical condition.” In other words, there need not be any terminal condition!  Secondly, the new

In this episode of Life Matters, Commissioner Johnston examines the February 2024 decision of the Alabama Supreme Court regarding in vitro fertilization. The issue of in vitro fertilization (IVF) is not a new debate, but sadly, media coverage has over simplified and reduced a deeper analysis. The issue of manipulating human beings and playing God by creating, and then destroying human lives, has grave and dramatic implications for all of society, many of which are being ignored. First and foremost is the issue of human ownership. There is no debate that these are human embryos. Yes, they can be preserved by cryogenic freezing,  But they are indeed human and as the movie, “Jurassic Park” intimates, via IVF, there are implications to the use of science to both create, and then possibly destroy the life created. In that film, the issue revolved around using science to create dinosaurs, using cryogenic freezing of the embryos. But also shows the implications of the creation and theft of such cryogenic “property”.

In this episode of Life Matters, Brian Johnston examines the pressure in 2024 to legalize assisted suicide nationwide in the United States. Many nations have now adopted assisted suicide throughout their borders, including Canada, Belgium, the Netherlands, Switzerland, France, in many others. The American euthanasia movement had attempted to do this through the courts, but in 1994 the Glucksberg decision by the United States Supreme Court announced there was no national “legal right” to be killed by medicine. In spring of 2024, there are 10 states that have legalized medical killing, plus the District of Columbia. There are another fourteen states that have now introduced measures for this year’s legislative session. But this belies the long-term methods, the actual approach that euthanasia advocates are taking. Initially, they propose safeguards and limits on a measure to help it get through the legislative process and legalized.  But then they “adjust” the parameters of the law. One of the most common limit

In this episode of Life Matters, Brian Johnson explains the importance of elections, each and every election.  More importantly, he focuses on the power of your vote the further down the ballot you go.  On a statewide level, your vote is a drop in the bucket.  But as various jurisdictions get smaller, the number of voters also gets dramatically smaller and this is why local elections are so important.  In order to have candidates for the state legislature, or for Congress, you must draw from people with some degree of political experience. Most people who run for these higher offices have had experience at the local level, whether it be school board, city council. or supervisor. Ironically, it is THESE starter positions, where your vote and the vote of your friends, make the greatest impact. By being involved in local elections, you can launch the career of people who share your values and ideals. Many elections for city office and for school board are determined by a relative handful of votes. That handful,

In this episode of Life Matters, Commissioner Johnston reminiscences on Life Matters beginning in 1987, on its expansion, and the many friends and allies that have brought it to this point 37 years later. Life Matters began on radio station station KCBC the 50,000 Watt (The highest wattage allowed by the FCC ) flamethrower station covering northern California. It was the northern California cornerstone for the Bott Broadcasting Network. Life Matters with Brian Johnston gradually expanded to other Bott affiliates, then to the Wilkins Network, which is a nationwide Christian broadcast string of stations, and eventually was included on many stations of the Salem Radio Network. Life Matters is also broadcast on shortwave radio through Europe, North Africa, and parts of Asia. Brian points out there are other Life Matters radio programs, the most notable a Life Matters program which is broadcast by Australian Broadcasting System, it is not related to Life Matters with BRIAN JOHNSTON.  There are also smaller local s

In this episode of Life Matters, Commissioner Johnston examines the real implications of Roe v. Wade, the fact that language is being used to trick people into thinking that the abortion debate has been settled - when in fact, it is only just begun in seriousness. Brian examines how the media uses semantics and semiotics – the study of signs and symbolism - to confuse the American public. The issue of red state versus blue state is but one example of how symbols are presented as truth to the public. The blue, which originally represented the Republican party, was intentionally changed starting in 1980 so that Red would not be associated with the Democrats and their philosophy. Throughout the rest of the world, red has been associated with the principles of Communism and state control. If the media continued to announce that a Democrat victory was a victory for the Reds then people may begin associating the Democrat party with its actual ideas of statism: group division, group control, oppressor versus oppress

Life Fest Film Festival is a very unique film festival from Hollywood California. Film festivals are an important part of the entertainment industry. This is where new filmmakers get their start and old filmmakers try out new ideas. Many film festivals are either geographically based, for example, Cannes, France or Park City and many are thematically based. Life Film Fest is an important aspect of the movie industry, and supported by many industry insiders, because of its unique and important message: the significance of each and every life, and in particular the seemingly insignificant life. We know that the Right To Life issue is facing an ideology which dismisses the value of individual lives. Many reasons or justifications are given to kill a young child in the womb or a newborn, a disabled person, or an elderly person.  Anyone who is dependent on others can easily be dismissed if the law will not protect them.  In today’s culture, there are many who do not care about the Right To Life. The reason for thi