Politics of Distraction
- holliemccalip
- 6 days ago
- 6 min read
I’m not tired of politics. I’m tired of intellectual laziness.
I’m tired of watching people scream names from documents they haven’t actually read.
Being mentioned in a file does not equal guilt. Being referenced is not the same as being charged. Redactions are not automatic proof of corruption (even if we know); they are often legal protections for victims and witnesses. That’s not opinion.
That’s the process.
But the process doesn’t trend. Outrage does.
Process Doesn’t Trend Outrage Does
While the public is glued to viral lists and headline hysteria, something far more consequential happens quietly in the background: Massive legislation moves.
Bills in the House and Senate are not ten-page summaries. They are often hundreds, sometimes thousands, of pages long. Negotiated, amended, merged, packaged, and voted on as a whole.
Policies are passed based on the entire bill.
Not the soundbite. Not the meme. Not the clip engineered for maximum emotional response.
The entire package.
Buried in those pages are the real levers of power:
Spending provisions that shift billions
Regulatory language that changes entire industries
Data policies that impact privacy
Foreign policy directives that alter global posture
Tax modifications that affect families and businesses
The quiet architecture of everyday life.
The Politics of Distraction
Instead of reading bills, we read screenshots. Instead of studying structure, we study personalities. Instead of demanding procedural transparency, we demand emotional satisfaction.
That is the politics of distraction. And it works brilliantly.
Because when we fight each other over fragments, we stop examining the framework.
Let me be clear:
If someone committed a crime, prosecute them. No favorites. No loopholes. No protection.
But a mention is not a conviction. Redacted does not equal corrupt.
Context matters. Due process matters.
If your child’s name showed up in a file tomorrow and the internet declared them guilty before a courtroom ever opened, would you clap for that? Or would you demand fairness?
Civic literacy isn’t optional. Without it, we’re not fighting for justice, we’re feeding chaos.
Reaction Culture vs. Critical Thinking
We have traded critical thinking for a reaction culture.
We repost before we research. We accuse before we analyze. We divide before we dissect.
Meanwhile, omnibus bills bundle unrelated policies into one massive vote. Provisions are added in committee. Language is revised in conference. By the time the vote occurs, most citizens haven’t read a single page of what will govern them.
That’s not a conspiracy. That’s complexity. And complexity is easy to hide behind when the public is divided and busy yelling.
When Headlines Become Doctrine
Here’s the uncomfortable truth:
A distracted population is easier to manage than an informed one.
You don’t control people by hiding everything. You control them by overwhelming them.
Constant outrage cycles. Constant breaking news. Constant division.
“That we henceforth be no more children, tossed to and fro, and carried about with every wind of doctrine…” Ephesians 4:14 (KJV)
Children are moved by emotion. Mature people are anchored by truth.
When headlines become doctrine, we are no longer discerning; we are drifting. Drifting feels subtle at first. Until you realize you’re nowhere near where you were meant to stand. Discernment is not optional in an age of noise; it is survival.
What Real Accountability Requires
If you want accountability, it requires more than reposting names.
Read the files. Read the bills. Follow the money. Understand the process.
Ask what moved while you were distracted. Ask what was bundled into the “must-pass” legislation.
Ask who benefits from the outrage economy.
Because powerful institutions don’t rely on chaos.
They rely on your exhaustion.
We Don’t Need Hysteria, We Need Literacy
We don’t need hysteria.
We need literacy. Civic literacy. Legal literacy. Media literacy.
Disagreement is not the threat.
Distraction is.
When we fight each other over pieces, we miss the policies being built around us. When we scream about headlines, we ignore the fine print. When we trade nuance for noise, we surrender influence.
Stop arguing over half the story. Start demanding transparency on the whole one.
That’s not partisan.
That’s responsible.
That’s leadership.
And that’s how you stop being distracted.
You can debate policies. You can argue platforms. You can wave flags and post opinions.
But don’t ever confuse a ballot with a Savior.
Governments change. Kings fall. Parties fracture.
Jesus doesn’t!
And if your peace rises and falls with the news cycle, it was never anchored in Him to begin with.
Remember: Discernment over distraction. Truth over trend. Jesus over politics. Every single time!
Don’t take anyone’s word for it, including mine.
The links are below. Read the Epstein Library. Watch Congress. Follow the Senate. Open the bills. Decide for yourself. Below those links is my prayer for all of us today.
🧾 1. Justice Department: Epstein Library
Website: https://www.justice.gov/epstein
This page is the Jeffrey Epstein Library hosted by the U.S. Department of Justice. It was created to make public a compilation of records related to Jeffrey Epstein — mainly in connection with court cases, investigations, and related documents.
📌 What it contains:
DOJ disclosures released under the Epstein Files Transparency Act (H.R. 4405).
Court records and filings from multiple civil cases involving Epstein.
Redacted documents and evidence lists from federal prosecutions tied to people associated with Epstein (e.g., Maxwell).
⚠️ Age Verification:To view much of the library content, the site asks users to confirm they are 18+ because some documents contain descriptions of sexual assault.
👉 This site is essentially a public archive of case records and related documentation rather than a narrative summary or news article about the Epstein case.
📜 2. Congress.gov — Bills with Chamber Action (Browse by Date)
This page on Congress.gov lets you see legislative activity by date for bills and resolutions in the U.S. Congress.
📌 How it works:
It shows bills and their actions on specific calendar dates, including introduction, committee action, passage votes, and other procedural steps.
You can scroll through days to see what legislation activity had (e.g., introduced, passed, referred to committee, etc.) on each date.
👉 Useful for researching recent or historical Congressional activity — especially if you want to know when a bill took a certain procedural step.
🏛️ 3. Senate.gov — Recent Floor Activity
This Senate page shows floor activity in the U.S. Senate — essentially a log of what the Senate did on the chamber floor on a given legislative day.
📌 Typical content includes:
Morning business and legislative proceedings observed on that day.
Bills or joint resolutions called up for consideration.
Votes taken (e.g., motions to proceed, cloture votes, passage votes).
For example, on Feb. 12, 2026, the Senate considered:
H.R. 7147, the consolidated appropriations bill for FY 2026.
A cloture vote on proceeding to that measure, which failed.
👉 This page doesn’t provide full bill text, but it gives a day-by-day snapshot
Closing Prayer
I usually pray privately prior to posting that my blog reaches and speaks to the people who are supposed to read it. Today, I am going to share that prayer for you, for me, for whomever is left wondering. The ones sorting through the governmental mess of politics. Believe me, I know firsthand things legislatively is worded in such a manner you need a law degree, thesaurus and a political science degree to just understand what you are reading. Which leads us left confused, wondering and misplacing our faith into political positions to save us.
Heavenly Father,
Your Word tells us, “That we henceforth be no more children, tossed to and fro, and carried about with every wind of doctrine…” (Ephesians 4:14, KJV).
In a world loud with opinions, promises, platforms, and personalities, steady us.
Give us discernment that is not shaped by headlines, party lines, or emotional reactions, but by truth rooted in You.
Your Word says, “If any of you lack wisdom, let him ask of God… and it shall be given him” (James 1:5, KJV). So, we ask, give us wisdom. Guard our hearts from deception. Guard our minds from manipulation. Guard our loyalties from becoming misplaced.
Lord, remind us that governments rise and fall, but “Jesus Christ the same yesterday, and today, and forever” (Hebrews 13:8, KJV).
Keep us from placing our hope in princes or parties, for “It is better to trust in the LORD than to put confidence in princes” (Psalm 118:9, KJV).
Teach us to engage without being consumed. To care without being controlled. To stand firm without becoming hardened.
Let our allegiance be first to Your Kingdom (Matthew 6:33).
Let our speech be seasoned with grace (Colossians 4:6). Let our love be sincere (Romans 12:9).
And above all, let our faith remain in Jesus alone.
Not in policies. Not in personalities. Not in power.
For “Our conversation is in heaven” (Philippians 3:20, KJV), and our citizenship is eternal.
Lord Jesus, sharpen our discernment. Anchor us in truth. Free us from fear.
May we think clearly, vote prayerfully, speak boldly, and love faithfully, without ever confusing politics with salvation. Because only one throne is eternal. And only one King saves.
In the name of Jesus, Amen.
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