Culture Wars Author-Attorney Scott Lively Says Goodbye to WND Column

I was rather surprised when attorney and columnist Scott Lively published his latest article in the World Net Daily (WND News Center) to say he was saying so-long to his weekly column with them. Let me clearly disclose anew that WND gave this writer for MHProNews and this Patch written permission to reprint articles in their entirety. In this case, I'm picking and choosing what to focus on here from Lively's last column for very specific reasons I may share later in life. Lively's full article on WND is at this link here. These are the parts of what Lively wrote that I wanted to focus on in Part I with added insights plus other topics in Part II.

Part I

END OF AN ERA

My final WND column

'In keeping with my larger lifestyle changes away from war and toward life as a civilian ...'
By Scott Lively | February 17, 2025

There's nothing like a heart attack to clarify one's priorities. Mine was on Nov. 25 of last year, just two weeks before my self-designated "retirement" date – my 67th birthday. In the subsequent weeks I've devoted many hours to contemplating how I'd like to spend my remaining days on this earth, and continuing to fight the culture war is near the bottom of the list.

If I were still truly needed in that fight, I would press on as a matter of honor, but truth be told I have little more to offer these days but memories and stories from my many battles of the past. Indeed, on that frightening day in November, I felt a bit like bloodied and exhausted Capt. John Miller from the final action scene of Spielberg's "Saving Private Ryan," based on the real-life Battle for the Merderet Bridge in Normandy. ...

...I first started writing for WND in September of 2012 on an occasional basis. I had always greatly respected and admired WND founder Joseph Farah back to his days running the conservative Sacramento Union newspaper and ghostwriting books for Rush Limbaugh. When without prompting on my part he publicly defended the veracity of my book "The Pink Swastika" (one of the most banned book of the 20th century) in response to critics trying to get me canceled by WND, I recognized him as a man of rare courage and integrity. After that I made WND the exclusive venue for my articles – other than my own newsletter. I only met the man in person once, a couple of years ago, when he invited me to his home and we went out to dinner with our wives. I then wrote a piece lauding him as "The Stonewall Jackson of American First Media" and his important role as the great pioneer of Christian conservative media on the internet.

I also came to respect and admire WND's David Kupelian, one of the finest writers and clearest thinking cultural analysts I've ever had the pleasure to know. It was he who invited me to write a weekly column when I called to ask how I might help WND in the aftermath of Joseph's terrible stroke. We shared our sense of outrage that while Joseph was still in a hospital bed, the Washington Post ran a cruel and malicious hit piece against him. I was one of the few people reaching out at that time who understood from personal experience just how vile the leftist media can be. I felt and still feel a very strong bond with both of these fine men. And I should include in these acknowledgments my kind and gracious WND editor Ron who always cleaned up my pieces without complaint. (Being essentially a self-trained former high-school dropout who used academic workarounds to earn my degrees, I've always been a stranger to style guides and the finer points of grammar.)

My mission with WND was to fight the culture war through my writing, hewing tightly to analysis of current events to augment WND's news emphasis...

...But as of today I am retiring from WND in keeping with my larger lifestyle changes away from war and toward life as a civilian – cultivating the interests and activities of a senior citizen, and enjoying the best elements of the civilization I fought so hard to conserve: art and music, the natural beauty of God's creation and the human works in complement to it, the many delights and diversions of grandchildren...

...I will also write a history of the culture war – in the style of testimonial evangelism – as part of a larger autobiographical work I've been planning since my wild early teens.

I will write fiction, as well – which as a child I had always expected would be my future as a writer. It was strange to awaken one day as an adult to the realization I actually had become a writer by trade without having formally planned it – and stranger still to have settled so comfortably into the thousand-word essay format on political topics. Now I'll go back and pick up the more creative literary trail I diverted from oh so long ago.

So this, my 456th column, is my final good-bye to my WND readers. I don't have a clue how many of you there are beyond the few hundreds who have sought me out over the years to praise or chastise me for my viewpoints. If you'd like to continue reading my stuff, just let me know by email at sdllaw@protonmail.com and I'll add you to my list. I expect to keep writing my own newsletter till the day I die.

I wish God's best for each and every one of you, and for his bounty and blessing to be poured out on WND as an iconic American institution that continues to honor Him.

---

Part II - Additional Information with Plus Other Topics

Lively's bio in brief by WND starts like this: "Scott Lively is an attorney, pastor, human rights consultant and missionary with service in more than 50 countries..."

From the WND website states this: "WorldNetDaily (WND) is America's oldest independent Christian online journalism organization, now approaching three decades of continual operation, having been founded in May 1997 by veteran journalist Joseph Farah and his wife Elizabeth Farah."

"WorldNetDaily's editorial policy reflects the traditional American notion that the principal role of the free press in a free society is to serve as a watchdog on those in power, whether in government or other major societal institutions – from cultural to corporate, from medical to technological, from educational to entertainment – boldly exposing corruption, deception, fraud and abuse wherever and whenever they are found. The pioneering news site also values highlighting and supporting individuals, organizations and institutions that demonstrate great virtue and goodness.

Keeping in mind Thomas Jefferson's famous warning that "The only security of all is in a free press," WorldNetDaily's motto from Day One has been, "A Free Press for a Free People.""

Perhaps like untold millions of others, this writer for MHProNews and this Patch discovered WND in part due to the once more centrist of at times seemingly conservative Drudge Report. Drudge would routinely feature some article from WND.

But left-leaning Google and others in the big tech orbit began to censor and demonetize WND.

There is an argument to be made that Drudge drifted left since the graphic below was produced and went from a largely pro-Trump platform that linked headlines that spanned the left-right media divide, which included content from routinely pro-Trump WND.

From WND's website is this remark. "In today's historic and tumultuous era, characterized by attacks on America in every form and from every direction, WorldNetDaily remains dedicated to preserving the nation's unique constitutional system of limited government, its economic system of free-market capitalism, and most of all, the core Judeo-Christian values that made America the most decent, successful, free and benevolent nation in history."

Perhaps no two people on planet Earth have seen everything in precisely the same way. I have family and friends that we agree on some things but disagree on others. When WND gave this writer the OK to share their content with a proper attribution and link back they didn't ask for rigid agreement with everything they ever published. My hunch is that their founder and editors don’t agree with everything that WND has published, because they do publish on a range of subjects with some rather startling views.

With that said, perhaps millions have an incomplete idea as to just how powerful Google, Facebook, YouTube and others in the left-leaning big tech orbit are. There was a push by a group of leftists to essentially kill WND off financially, Joseph Farah and David Kupelian have written in their own words on several occasions.

To illustrate, consider this Q&A with left-leaning Bing's AI powered Copilot. The question was posed by this writer.

WND's Joseph Farah and David Kupelian have said on several occasions that left-leaning Google has tried to kill them off by throttling their revenue, isn't that right? Doesn't Google have quite a bit of influence over online ad revenues and over what is labeled as news in their news feed search tab? Hasn't Google been found guilty of antitrust violations by a court after an extended trial?

Yes, Joseph Farah and David Kupelian from WND have claimed that Google has targeted their revenue by throttling their traffic and advertising. They've stated that Google demonetized their site, which significantly impacted their revenue1.

Google does have substantial influence over online ad revenues and news distribution. It controls a significant portion of the online advertising market and has been found to benefit greatly from news content without adequately compensating publishers3. This has led to ongoing debates and legal challenges regarding fair compensation for news publishers.

Regarding antitrust violations, Google was indeed found guilty of antitrust violations by the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia in August 2024. The court ruled that Google illegally maintained monopoly power in the search and advertising markets by forming exclusive agreements that caused anticompetitive harm5. ...

This writer has shared with readers of this Patch column, as well as on our own MHProNews and MHLivingNews platforms, the sly but stunning power that Google, Facebook, and others have over information in the U.S. and in scores of nations around the world. This isn't a left vs. right issue, although there is a left-leaning slant to Google and Facebook, as the screen capture further above begins to illustrate. Dr. Robert Epstein is a self-described Democratic supporter who is among the watchdogs that have blown the whistle on Google's outsized power well before the recent antitrust verdict cited above.

https://www.manufacturedhomepr...

If the main thing that people see comes from left-leaning sources is it any surprise if tens of millions are influenced by that steady stream of left-leaning claims? Of course not. WND is among several platforms that dared stand up in the face of that assault.

There are times when someone decides to take a stand, however modest it may seem, against the currents of an era. I've personally tried to run press releases at my own expense about this or that on WND only to see the press release declined (perhaps because it was on WND). That's a sad commentary on freedom of the press in the U.S. where we are supposed to have the right to free speech AND to a free press.

This writer has selected items from left-leaning sources on a range of topics for years because the balance is necessary and useful. Long before some on the right began to cheer Robert F. Kennedy Jr., this writer featured some of RFK Jr.'s thinking on issues of health, the origins of the COVID19 pandemic, and other topics. Kennedy was a self-described liberal. Kennedy was a lifelong Democrat until he accused the Democratic Party of rigging the election in favor of Joe Biden (D). RFK Jr.'s look at the CIA and other troubling aspect of the U.S. government, well before he announced his run for the White House and his ultimate deal with then candidate Donald Trump in the 2024 election cycle. The first of the two articles linked below was posted on May 28, 2021. The second is from February 14, 2021. The last two are from 2023. Agree or disagree with Kennedy on this or that but the man made several evidence-supported points and accomplishments that helped lead him to his current role as the United States Secretary of Health and Human Services (HHS).

https://www.manufacturedhomepr...

https://www.manufacturedhomepr...

There are several others besides Kennedy that this writer has followed from the political left besides some that are sources from the right. The point in this context is that WND had the courage of their convictions. So too did Scott Lively. We don't have to agree on everything to agree on several things that are important for the future of our American Republic.

WND helped make some writers either popular or more popular because they gave them a platform to share their views from. That is useful if not essential in a free society.

There is apparent evidence that Lively and WND have both been ripped by left-leaning Wikipedia and the left-leaning Southern Poverty Law Center and SPLC, among others. As someone who believes that everyone merits the fair application of the principle of separating the wheat from the chaff, I would say that Wikipedia and SPLC and others have the right to be wrong.

May God bless those who have stood up to the groups that have tried to smear or censor people's right to free speech.

That's a long and perhaps round about way of saluting WND, Lively, and all those who have similarly tried to bring truth, evidence, reason, and faith to a discussion. Here's to good health and that the light of Truth and Faith writ large guide and inspire them. Let me also salute the Patch for providing me with this platform because while we (MHProNews/MHLivingNews) have our own platforms, there is value to offering op-eds from a source like this Patch.

God bless America.

Other topics follow.

> Is Sanity Returning to Issues Related to Men in Women's Sports?

>Employees! It is ‘Not Free Market Capitalism It’s Corporate Feudalism’

> U-Haul and North American's Moving Research-Top States for In and Out

> Chuck Norris on St. Valentine: Culture warrior and model for us all

> Scott Turner Confirmed Secretary of Housing and Urban Development-Official HUD+Manufactured Housing Association for Regulatory Reform (MHARR) News Releases; Manufactured Home Generational Wealth

> Romano-U.S. Trade War with Mexico and Canada Lasted 1 Day. Trump Won.

> Urge Senate to Work 7 Days a Week Until Trump's Cabinet is Confirmed!

> ‘Endemic Mismanagement of HUD Manufactured Housing Program’ Nom Turner

'Restoring and Expanding Affordable Housing Role of Manufactured Homes'–MHARR Letter Cites 2000 Reform Act, "Enhanced Preemption" Much More...https://patch.com/florida/lake...

> Big Govt, Big Pharma, Big Food made Americans Overweight and Unhealthy

> Virginia Bishop for ‘Well-Regulated Borders’ Amid VP J.D. Vance Rumble

> Romano-Trump Bans DEI In Federal Govt—States And Corporations Are Next

> How Republicans Should Follow Through on Tough Talk on Immigration

> NPR=87 Registered Democrats in Editorial Positions and No Republicans

> President Donald J. Trump’s Official 'America First Priorities'

---

> Rubio Senate Replacement Ashley Moody (FL-R) Gets Key Assignments

> Trump Plan: Make America Safe, Affordable, Restore U.S. Values for All

> NPR=87 Registered Democrats in Editorial Positions and No Republicans

---

> Official Manufactured Housing Production from 1995-2023-Why it Matters

> Anna Paulina Luna (FL-R) and Barry Loudermilk (GA-R) MERIT Act Insight

> Executive Orders on Investigating Biden Censorship & Weaponization

> Floridian Dr István Dobozi Strikes at Trump Again in Magyar Article (Another critical analysis - fact check).

---

> Why do Liars Lie? Why do those Engaged in Paltering and Spin Palter?

> Controversy-Manufactured Housing Institute-Lesli Gooch-Mark Bowersox

> ‘Mobile Home Values Rising Faster Than Single-Family’ House-Wow Fact$

> Realtor-What Is a Manufactured Home? The Next Step Beyond Mobile Homes

> Orlando RE Agent Smith-Younger Adults Will Need $8500 Monthly for Rent

---

> Rob Romano-Time To Declassify Everything, Or Another RussiaGate Ahead

> Contemporary Tips from Legend Paul Harvey-Surprising Rest of the Story

> Alert: Is Affordable Housing Linked Scandal at Champion Homes Brewing?

> Report: Biden-Harris Federal Agencies Spent Millions Torturing Cats

> Lesli Gooch Ph.D.-Award, Coverup, Headfake, Scandal? Rest of the Story (Manufactured Housing Institute linked)

---

> ALG Unpacks Trump Pitch to Cut Drug Costs by Cutting PBM Middleman

> Is there Evidence that God Exists? Evolution vs. Intelligent Design

> Democratic Voters-Closer Look at Biden’s Acts Before Biden-Harris Exit

> Christian Leaders-Signs of 4th 'Great Awakening' Millions go to Jesus

> Attorney John Morgan - Democrat Megadonor on Kamala Harris Campaign

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> USA Today - David Plouffe and Dem Advisers on Kamala Harris Revelation

> Majority OK Trump Transition-Mass Deportations-Tariffs- Is it Hopeful?

> Niskanen Center Praises Manufactured Home ‘Cost Savings’ and ‘Quality’

> Alice Carter-The Northern Forum-Deporting Immigrants & Housing Crisis

> Cartoons-Kamala Day 1, DOGE the Swamp, Brainwashing, & Out In the Cold

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> The Creepy Line-Peter Schweizer-Dr. Jordan Peterson-Dr. Robert Epstein

> Secret State Miniseries - Fictional TV Series Shed Light on Reality

> Trump Transition Team Asked to Prioritize Affordable Housing Issues

> Top 10 States for Homelessness & Top Cities for Crime=Shocking Lessons

> WashPost-American Dream Fades But Assoc CEO Mark Weiss Shows Solution

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> Blankley-Goodbye American Dream? Only 10% Polled Can Buy a House; But

> Frank Rolfe-Special Interests ‘Don’t Want to Solve Affordable Housing'

> TARK-‘I’m a Teen and Know the Solution to Affordable Housing Crisis’

---> Renting? Rent too High? Odds Are DOJ Suit vs RealPage Matters to You

> New-Certified “Half Price Homes” - Affordable Housing Solution Redux

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> Solution: “Would-Be Homebuyers Need 80% More Income Than 4 Years Ago”

L. A. “Tony” Kovach is a publisher who has earned multiple awards in history. He and his family live in a manufactured home on private property in Winter Haven, FL. He is the co-founder of Manufactured Home Living News.com (MHLivingNews.com) and Manufactured Home Pro News.com (MHProNews.com), trade publications serving segments of the manufactured home industry. Having worked in several segments of the manufactured home industry for over 3 decades, Kovach is a widely acknowledged and often praised expert on manufactured housing.