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Senior Fellow Dr. Robert Marbut and actor Billy Baldwin appeared on Fox News Radio’s Brian Kilmeade Show to discuss their new documentary, “Fentanyl: Death Incorporated.” Marbut and Baldwin discuss how they got involved with the creation of the documentary, the origin of the fentanyl crisis, and the scope of the problem. “The stat that really brings it home,” says Marbut, “[is] more people have died of fentanyl in the last five years than the last hundred years of war for Americans.” Find out more about “Fentanyl: Death Incorporated,” and where you can watch it, at fentanyldeathincorporated.com.

I’ve learned in my stays at homeless shelters one clear lesson: how hard it is to offer true help. Jeff Cook, chief program officer at Springs Rescue Mission (SRM), wrote this in his dissertation: “When reviewing the reason clients are homeless, it was apparent that they all had some traumatic experiences that caused them to be homeless. This trauma could have begun in many forms: the death of a parent or family member, the victim of a crime, human or drug trafficking, or the loss of a job due to illness.” Such stressful events shatter senses of security. They leave people feeling endangered by normal life, unstable even when placed in stable housing. A faith in Christ can be a Read More ›

The Springs Rescue Mission had humble beginnings thirty years ago, which is typical of programs that last. Unlike Athena in Greek mythology, they don’t spring forth full-grown from the head of Zeus. Starting in 1995, SRM gradually grew its focus on homeless services and addiction recovery. It built slowly but solidly, and started in 2013 to build a resource campus that could serve more people and provide more opportunities for those encouraged to leave homelessness behind. A dozen years later, it serves more than 4,000 individuals each year and has a variety of programs under the authority of Chief Program Officer Jeff Cook — but Cook, to his credit, wondered in his June 2024 doctoral dissertation (Bakke Graduate School, Dallas) Read More ›

New A notorious Seattle drug camp could be getting shut down today. It’s right next to Lake Washington Girls Middle School and it’s turned into a chop shop full of stolen bikes and motorcycles. But it’s taken months for the city to respond and neighbors say this is unacceptable. For nearly two months complaints have been pouring into the city about open-air drug use, warming fires, and trash overwhelming several streets in Beacon Hill. Most of the chaos is coming from this encampment at the corner of 22nd Ave South and South Walker Street. A notorious hot spot for broken RVs, tents, and all kinds of illegal activity. When I point out a black Hyundai, one local tells me, “That’s Read More ›

“Their End Goal Is to Completely Nullify Police Unions” The president of Seattle’s police union is doubling down and accusing Mayor Bruce Harrell and Marxist State Rep. Shaun Scott of colluding on a bill that could dismantle collective bargaining rights for officers.

The Springs Rescue Mission transients I met had a choice. Those who were addicted could join the recovery program and get a heavy dose of Jesus plus medicine. Others could join the Hope program, maybe enticed by the opportunity to sleep in the same bed every night and get better meals during the day, maybe motivated by faith in Christ. While staying in the Colorado Springs shelter, I sat in one Hope class in an SRM “multi-purpose room” and saw that the name reflects the goals of students as well as how the space is used. The text was Core Purpose 2.0, Fifth edition, authored by Victoria Jeffs. The class emphasized “mindfulness,” a key component of Buddhism’s eight-fold path for Read More ›

New As Seattle Mayor Bruce Harrell wraps up his latest State of the City address, the drug crisis downtown remains a massive black eye with no end in sight. Want proof? Early Tuesday morning, I walked the area around 3rd Ave & Pike St. and it was zombie land. No cops, no outreach, just human suffering. While the drug dens are less visible during the day, the problem is just being moved around. So it all comes back at night. Everyone who lives and works downtown knows this. The current plan is a band-aid solution because the root causes are not being addressed. There’s gotta be interventions and better treatment options before we hand out any more free drug supplies. Read More ›

Caitlyn McKenney reacts to data shared by the Mayor of Normandy Park WA that shows the role of addiction and mental illness in homelessness. This data should inform policymakers in Washington as they consider a bill that would make it easier to sue cities for restricting public camping.

A Springs Rescue Mission (SRM) document declares, “Our faith is why we do what we do, but faith is never required of others to receive basic relief services.…We believe it is God’s job to change people, not ours.” Old-style missions often thought they could change people by requiring attendance at chapel services. SRM does not have a campus church or any required service. SRM’s Christian statement emphasizes that God is “the one who transforms. Therefore, when guests make bad choices, it’s up to God to work with them. It’s God’s job to change people. It’s our role to help in the project, not own it.” Last March, though, The Gazette — Colorado Springs’ daily newspaper — reported criticism of SRM Read More ›