TASK DEFINITION: Given a document, find the main entity about whom the author is writing. Write the full name if mentioned in the text. Note that URLs in the text have been replaced with [Link].
PROBLEM: The Roman Empire  a police state in its own right  had ordered that a census be conducted. Joseph and his pregnant wife Mary traveled to the little town of Bethlehem so that they could be counted. There being no room for the couple at any of the inns  they stayed in a stable  where Mary gave birth to  a baby boy  Jesus .
Unfortunately   Jesus  was born into a police state not unlike the growing menace of the American police state. And when  he  grew up   Jesus  did not shy away from speaking truth to power. Indeed   his  teachings undermined the political and religious establishment of  his  day.  He  was eventually crucified as a warning to others not to challenge the powers-that-be.
Yet what if  instead of being born into the Roman police state   Jesus  had been born and raised in the American police state?
Instead of being born in a manger   Jesus  might have been born at home. Rather than wise men and shepherds bringing gifts  however  the baby’s parents might have been forced to ward off visits from state social workers intent on prosecuting them for the home birth. One couple in Washington had all three of their children removed after social services objected to the two youngest being birthed in an unassisted home delivery.
From the time  he  was old enough to attend school   Jesus  would have been drilled in lessons of compliance and obedience to government authorities  while learning little about  his  own rights. Had  he  dared to step out of line while in school   he  might have found  himself  tasered or beaten by a school resource officer  or at the very least suspended under a school zero tolerance policy that punishes minor infractions as harshly as more serious offenses.
Had  Jesus  disappeared for a few hours let alone days as a 12-year-old   his  parents would have been handcuffed  arrested and jailed for parental negligence.
From the moment  Jesus  made contact with an “extremist” such as John the Baptist   he  would have been flagged for surveillance because of  his  association with a prominent activist  peaceful or otherwise. Since 9/11  the FBI has actively carried out surveillance and intelligence-gathering operations on a broad range of activist groups.
Jesus’ anti-government views would certainly have resulted in  him  being labeled a domestic extremist. Law enforcement agencies are being trained to recognize signs of anti-government extremism during interactions with potential extremists who share a “belief in the approaching collapse of government and the economy.”
While traveling from community to community   Jesus  might have been reported to government officials as “suspicious” under the Department of Homeland Security’s “See Something  Say Something” programs.
Rather than being permitted to live as an itinerant preacher   Jesus  might have found  himself  threatened with arrest for daring to live off the grid or sleeping outside. In fact  the number of cities that have resorted to criminalizing homelessness by enacting bans on camping  sleeping in vehicles  loitering and begging in public has doubled.
Viewed by the government as a dissident and potential threat to its power   Jesus  might have had government spies planted among  his  followers to monitor  his  activities  report on  his  movements  and entrap  him  into breaking the law. Such Judases today — called informants — often receive hefty paychecks from the government for their treachery.
Had  Jesus  used the internet to spread  his  radical message of peace and love   he  might have found  his  blog posts infiltrated by government spies attempting to undermine  his  integrity  discredit  him  or plant incriminating information online about  him . At the very least   he  would have had  his  website hacked and  his  email monitored.
Had  Jesus  attempted to feed large crowds of people   he  would have been threatened with arrest for violating various ordinances prohibiting the distribution of food without a permit. Florida officials arrested a 90-year-old man for feeding the homeless on a public beach.
Had  Jesus  spoken publicly about  his  40 days in the desert and  his  conversations with the devil   he  might have been labeled mentally ill and detained in a psych ward with no access to family or friends.
Without a doubt  had  Jesus  attempted to overturn tables in a Jewish temple and rage against the materialism of religious institutions   he  would have been charged with a hate crime. Currently  45 states and the federal government have hate crime laws on the books.
Rather than having armed guards capture  Jesus  in a public place  government officials would have ordered that a SWAT team carry out a raid on  Jesus  and  his  followers  complete with flash-bang grenades and military equipment. There are upwards of 80 000 such SWAT team raids carried out every year.

SOLUTION: Jesus Was Born

PROBLEM: Itâs always the anniversary of something or other. In November  we have the Russian Revolution and the Balfour Declaration  and this week marks the 500th year since  Martin Luther  challenged the Catholic Church with  his  95 theses. Given the loopy Zeitgeist of our times  I should rush into the street and mark the occasion by defacing Protestant churches with the customary red paint of protest. Luther  after all  was more than the creator of Protestantism. He was also a rotten anti-Semite.
But does  Luther  also deserve a splash of red? The evidence is pretty shocking  not to mention definitive. In 1543   he  published âOn the Jews and Their Lies â in which  he  called my ancestors âbase and whoring peopleâ full of the âdevilâs feces . . . they wallow in like swine.â
 He  had all sorts of ideas for what to do with the Jews  including the wholesale liquidation of their synagogues  even homes  and a ban on the teaching of their rabbis âon pain of loss of life and limb.â
To be sure  Lutherâs Jew-hatred was typical for the time  but  Luther himself  was hardly typical.  He  was a powerful  colloquial writer  and  his  words surely had some effect.  He  was the founder of a church  or a movement  that now numbers nearly 1 billion.
But more pertinently   he  provided a religious imprimatur to German anti-Semitism  which culminated in the Holocaust.  Luther  was often cited by the Nazis  but it would be wrong to blame  him  alone for the murder of 6 million souls.
As far as Iâm concerned   Luther  is a flawed figure. I can appreciate â even applaud â  his  reforms  but they mean little to  me . Nevertheless  I spare  him  the red paint because I know  his  Jew-hatred is hugely negligible compared with the Reformation  he  initiated and  not insignificantly  the role  he  played in encouraging literacy.  He  wrote in German  not Latin  and like the Hebrews  he  so despised   he  interposed no one between man and God. One had to read the Bible.
I pick and choose  my symbolic can of red paint always at the ready. But when it comes to those Confederate generals  they unambiguously stand for slavery  racism and the vile nostalgia for the so-called Lost Cause that prompted the erection of so many memorials. I cherish my Bach  feel bully about T.R. and acknowledge the immense importance of Martin Luther. He did more good than bad.

SOLUTION: Martin Luther

PROBLEM: After four years of taunting and torturing fellow Republicans , Ted Cruz is shedding his just-say-no persona in the Senate for a new identity : Team player . 
Majority Leader Mitch McConnell -- a man Cruz once derided as a liar and an ally of Democrats -- is counting on the Texan to help navigate an Obamacare repeal bill through the Senate with virtually no margin for error . 
As a trusted voice of the conservative wing of the GOP and conduit to the House Freedom Caucus , Cruz is fast emerging as a pivotal player in the Republican bid to do away with the landmark Democratic health care law . 
But after receiving so much blowback for that and many other episodes , there 's nary a Cruz critic in the Senate Republican Conference nowadays . 
Cruz 's work on health care has been uncharacteristically low profile so far . 
It began with a private dinner in mid-February at the upscale D.C. steakhouse Capital Grille with the more compromise-minded Alexander , who once chided Cruz for calling McConnell a liar on the Senate floor by noting that one thing "you learn in Kindergarten is to respect one another ." 
Alexander and Cruz agreed to assemble a group of GOP senators to prepare for the eventuality that the House would send them a health care bill riddled with flaws that could not pass the Senate as written . 
But when it comes to passing a new health care law , Republicans believe the inclusion of Cruz and his close ally , Sen. Mike Lee -LRB- R-Utah -RRB- , could pay critical dividends by building support among conservative groups and the House Freedom Caucus . 
"One of the challenges when the Obamacare bill was in the House , was that early on was that the different parts of the party were not talking to each other ," Cruz said in an interview in his office . 
Collaborative and inclusive are not typically words associated with Cruz . 
Now that President Barack Obama is out of office , Cruz said his mission in the Senate is no longer to be the "loyal opposition ." 
"Different circumstances call for different approaches ," said Cruz , who is gearing up to run for a second term next year in a closely watched race . 
Cruz 's leading role has shocked some of his colleagues . 
The group that Cruz helped develop is , in some ways , a substitute for the traditional committee process . 
"We have skin in the game ," Cruz said . 
Still , there 's concern among some more centrist senators that the end-product could appeal too much to Cruz and not enough to the dozen or so Republican senators who have grave concerns about slashing Medicaid and removing protections for preexisting conditions . 
Clearly he believes Lee and Cruz are crucial ; but some GOP sources said there are deep doubts among senators that Collins or Sen. Rand Paul -LRB- R-Ky . -RRB- 
Though GOP leaders believe by getting Cruz involved they are minimizing the possibility that Cruz will later demolish their repeal efforts , the Texas firebrand is n't on the same page about everything . 
Cruz wants to go as big as possible , and if Senate rules prohibit his idea , he believes Vice President Mike Pence should simply overrule the parliamentarian . 
"The parliamentarian merely advises , the vice president decides ," Cruz said . 
But on almost every other front , Republicans say , Cruz is being highly productive .

SOLUTION:
Ted Cruz