| Devotion to Our Lady |
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A 54-NOVENA IN PREPARATION FOR 2024 U.S. PRESIDENTIAL ELECTION
which takes place on November 5th
This section is dedicated to thoughts and comments on build up to the Election.
New material will be posted on a daily basis.
which takes place on November 5th
This section is dedicated to thoughts and comments on build up to the Election.
New material will be posted on a daily basis.
INTRODUCTION TO THE NOVENA
The 2024 U.S. Presidential elections is only weeks away. This section is being written on September 12th, the feast of the Holy Name of Mary. We intend to begin a 54-day novena begging the help of Heaven―not just in regard to this upcoming election, but with regard to the mass of evil that governs not only this country, but most, if not all the countries of the world.
Why a Novena of 54 days? Wouldn’t just 9 days suffice―which is the traditional length of a novena? Sure―you can do your 9-day novena at any time you like. However, given the fact that current religious, political, social, cultural, economic and moral climate of the country and the world is plummeting rapidly―something more powerful is needed to hopefully stop or slow the current free-fall of America into various shades and degrees of totalitarianism, revolution, civil war, social unrest, lawlessness and immorality. Serious diseases require serious medicines if they are to be cured or contained.
Our Lady―in these modern times―has repeatedly revealed the power of the Holy Rosary and has repeatedly insisted that we pray the Rosary VERY MUCH!
Our Lady has said: “No one on the face of the Earth is aware from where comes the salvation of souls, the conversion of great sinners, the end of great scourges, the fertility of the land, the end of pestilence and wars and the harmony between nations. All this is due to the prayers that rise up from monasteries and convents … Woe to the world should it lack monasteries and convents! Men do not comprehend their importance, for, if they understood, they would do all in their power to multiply them, because in them can be found the remedy for all physical and moral evils ... There is no one left to beg mercy and forgiveness for the people. There are no more generous souls, there is no one left worthy of offering a spotless sacrifice to the Eternal for the sake of the world … There are not any souls who, by their lives of immolation and sacrifice, appease the Divine Justice … I desire souls to console Him to soften the anger of the Heavenly Father. I wish, with my Son, for souls who will repair―by their suffering and their poverty―for the sinners and the ungrateful … I have prevented the coming of calamities by offering Him the sufferings of … beloved souls, who console Him forming a cohort of victim souls. Prayer, penance and courageous sacrifices can soften the Father’s anger. I desire this! …
“Already souls who wish to pray are on the way to being gathered together … Will you sacrifice yourself for the people of this time? … Are you willing to offer yourselves to God and bear all the sufferings He wills to send to you, as an act of reparation for the conversion of sinners? … Then you are going to have much to suffer, but the grace of God will be your comfort! … Sacrifice yourselves for sinners … Pray, pray very much, and make sacrifices for sinners; for many souls go to Hell, because there are none to sacrifice themselves and pray for them! … Continue to pray very much—very much! … Clamor insistently without tiring and weep with bitter tears, in the privacy of your heart. Implore our Celestial Father ... that He might take pity and bring to an end those ominous times! … Pray very much the prayers of the Rosary! I alone am able still to save you from the calamities which approach. Those who place their confidence in me will be saved.” (combination of quotes from Our Lady of Good Success, Our Lady of La Salette, Our Lady of Fatima, Our Lady of Akita).
Our Lady was especially insistent upon the Rosary at her apparitions at Fatima. Not one single apparition occured without Our Lady insisting that we pray the Rosary: “Pray the Rosary every day to obtain peace for the world and the end of the war!” (May 1917) … “Say the Rosary every day, to bring peace to the world and the end of the war … (June 1917) … “Continue to pray the Rosary every day in honor of Our Lady of the Rosary, in order to obtain peace for the world and the end of the war, because only she can help you! … If my requests are heeded, Russia will be converted!” (July 1917) … “Continue to say the Rosary every day! … Pray, pray very much!” (August 1917) … “Continue to pray the Rosary in order to obtain the end of the war!” (September 1917) … “I am the Lady of the Rosary. Continue always to pray the Rosary every day!” (October 1917).
If you discover this 54-Day Novena at a later date―such as after the Presidential Election has taken place―do not assume that it is not for you; do not imagine that you are excluded, or even exempted. The mess that surrounds the Presidential "Election" and the mess that will follow the "Election" clearly shows that there is much work (prayer and sacrifice) to be done―and Our Lord answers this difficulty of “latecomers” to the Novena with the following parable:
“The Kingdom of Heaven is like to a householder, who went out early in the morning to hire laborers into his vineyard. And having agreed with the laborers for a penny a day, he sent them into his vineyard [54-Day Novena]. And going out about the third hour, he saw others standing in the market place idle. And he said to them: ‘Go you also into my vineyard [54-Day Novena], and I will give you what shall be just!’ And they went their way. And again he went out about the sixth and the ninth hour, and did in like manner. But about the eleventh hour he went out and found others standing, and he said to them: ‘Why stand you here all the day idle?’ They said to him: ‘Because no man hath hired us!’ He said to them: ‘Go you also into my vineyard! [54-Day Novena]. And when evening was come, the lord of the vineyard said to his steward: ‘Call the laborers and pay them their hire ― beginning from the last even to the first!’ When therefore they were come, that came about the eleventh hour, they received every man a penny. But when the first also came, they thought that they should receive more: and they also received every man a penny. And receiving it they murmured against the master of the house, saying: ‘These last have worked but one hour, and thou hast made them equal to us, that have borne the burden of the day and the heats!’ But he, answering, said to one of them: ‘Friend, I do thee no wrong! Didst thou not agree with me for a penny? Take what is thine and go thy way! I will also give to this last even as to thee! Or, is it not lawful for me to do what I will? Is thy eye evil because I am good? So shall the last be first―and the first last! For many are called―but few chosen!’” (Matthew 20:1-16).
Why a Novena of 54 days? Wouldn’t just 9 days suffice―which is the traditional length of a novena? Sure―you can do your 9-day novena at any time you like. However, given the fact that current religious, political, social, cultural, economic and moral climate of the country and the world is plummeting rapidly―something more powerful is needed to hopefully stop or slow the current free-fall of America into various shades and degrees of totalitarianism, revolution, civil war, social unrest, lawlessness and immorality. Serious diseases require serious medicines if they are to be cured or contained.
Our Lady―in these modern times―has repeatedly revealed the power of the Holy Rosary and has repeatedly insisted that we pray the Rosary VERY MUCH!
Our Lady has said: “No one on the face of the Earth is aware from where comes the salvation of souls, the conversion of great sinners, the end of great scourges, the fertility of the land, the end of pestilence and wars and the harmony between nations. All this is due to the prayers that rise up from monasteries and convents … Woe to the world should it lack monasteries and convents! Men do not comprehend their importance, for, if they understood, they would do all in their power to multiply them, because in them can be found the remedy for all physical and moral evils ... There is no one left to beg mercy and forgiveness for the people. There are no more generous souls, there is no one left worthy of offering a spotless sacrifice to the Eternal for the sake of the world … There are not any souls who, by their lives of immolation and sacrifice, appease the Divine Justice … I desire souls to console Him to soften the anger of the Heavenly Father. I wish, with my Son, for souls who will repair―by their suffering and their poverty―for the sinners and the ungrateful … I have prevented the coming of calamities by offering Him the sufferings of … beloved souls, who console Him forming a cohort of victim souls. Prayer, penance and courageous sacrifices can soften the Father’s anger. I desire this! …
“Already souls who wish to pray are on the way to being gathered together … Will you sacrifice yourself for the people of this time? … Are you willing to offer yourselves to God and bear all the sufferings He wills to send to you, as an act of reparation for the conversion of sinners? … Then you are going to have much to suffer, but the grace of God will be your comfort! … Sacrifice yourselves for sinners … Pray, pray very much, and make sacrifices for sinners; for many souls go to Hell, because there are none to sacrifice themselves and pray for them! … Continue to pray very much—very much! … Clamor insistently without tiring and weep with bitter tears, in the privacy of your heart. Implore our Celestial Father ... that He might take pity and bring to an end those ominous times! … Pray very much the prayers of the Rosary! I alone am able still to save you from the calamities which approach. Those who place their confidence in me will be saved.” (combination of quotes from Our Lady of Good Success, Our Lady of La Salette, Our Lady of Fatima, Our Lady of Akita).
Our Lady was especially insistent upon the Rosary at her apparitions at Fatima. Not one single apparition occured without Our Lady insisting that we pray the Rosary: “Pray the Rosary every day to obtain peace for the world and the end of the war!” (May 1917) … “Say the Rosary every day, to bring peace to the world and the end of the war … (June 1917) … “Continue to pray the Rosary every day in honor of Our Lady of the Rosary, in order to obtain peace for the world and the end of the war, because only she can help you! … If my requests are heeded, Russia will be converted!” (July 1917) … “Continue to say the Rosary every day! … Pray, pray very much!” (August 1917) … “Continue to pray the Rosary in order to obtain the end of the war!” (September 1917) … “I am the Lady of the Rosary. Continue always to pray the Rosary every day!” (October 1917).
If you discover this 54-Day Novena at a later date―such as after the Presidential Election has taken place―do not assume that it is not for you; do not imagine that you are excluded, or even exempted. The mess that surrounds the Presidential "Election" and the mess that will follow the "Election" clearly shows that there is much work (prayer and sacrifice) to be done―and Our Lord answers this difficulty of “latecomers” to the Novena with the following parable:
“The Kingdom of Heaven is like to a householder, who went out early in the morning to hire laborers into his vineyard. And having agreed with the laborers for a penny a day, he sent them into his vineyard [54-Day Novena]. And going out about the third hour, he saw others standing in the market place idle. And he said to them: ‘Go you also into my vineyard [54-Day Novena], and I will give you what shall be just!’ And they went their way. And again he went out about the sixth and the ninth hour, and did in like manner. But about the eleventh hour he went out and found others standing, and he said to them: ‘Why stand you here all the day idle?’ They said to him: ‘Because no man hath hired us!’ He said to them: ‘Go you also into my vineyard! [54-Day Novena]. And when evening was come, the lord of the vineyard said to his steward: ‘Call the laborers and pay them their hire ― beginning from the last even to the first!’ When therefore they were come, that came about the eleventh hour, they received every man a penny. But when the first also came, they thought that they should receive more: and they also received every man a penny. And receiving it they murmured against the master of the house, saying: ‘These last have worked but one hour, and thou hast made them equal to us, that have borne the burden of the day and the heats!’ But he, answering, said to one of them: ‘Friend, I do thee no wrong! Didst thou not agree with me for a penny? Take what is thine and go thy way! I will also give to this last even as to thee! Or, is it not lawful for me to do what I will? Is thy eye evil because I am good? So shall the last be first―and the first last! For many are called―but few chosen!’” (Matthew 20:1-16).
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CONSECRATION OF THE UNITED STATES TO MARY
In 1792, Bishop Carroll of Baltimore, consecrated the United States to Mary under the title of the Immaculate Conception. In 1846, bishops attending the Sixth Provincial Council in Baltimore chose Mary under that title as the country's patroness. On November 19th, 1959, Bishop Patrick O'Boyle of Washington, D.C. consecrated the United States to the Immaculate Heart of Mary. It was renewed by the U.S. bishops November 11th, 2006. Like the Canadian bishops, on May 1st, 2000, Archbishop José Horacio Gómez, president of the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops, led a “Renewal of the Consecration of the United States of America to the Blessed Virgin Mary” under the title “Mary, Mother of the Church” at Our Lady of the Angels Cathedral in Los Angeles. That same day, a rite of consecration was similarly held by Archbishop Gregory at the Basilica of the National Shrine of the Immaculate Conception in Washington.
PRAYERS FOR THE NOVENA
THE LITANY TO OUR LADY
FOR AMERICA Lord, have mercy on us.
Christ, have mercy on us. Lord, have mercy on us. Christ, hear us. Christ, graciously hear us. God the Father of Heaven, Have mercy on us. God the Son, Redeemer of the world, Have mercy on us. God the Holy Ghost, Have mercy on us. Holy Trinity, One God, Have mercy on us. Holy Mary, pray for us. Holy Mother of God, pray for us. Holy Virgin of virgins, pray for us. O Immaculate Heart, triumph over our enemies! O Immaculate Heart, expose the snares of Satan! O Immaculate Heart, expose the plots of our enemies! O Immaculate Heart, paralyze the plans of our enemies! O Immaculate Heart, protect the true children of Holy Mother Church! O Immaculate Heart, convert or destroy the enemies of the Church and Mankind! O Immaculate Heart, crush the head of Satan and his stooges, instruments and minions! O Immaculate Heart, strengthen us in this persecution! O Immaculate Heart, obtain for us the courage to fight for the Faith! O Immaculate Heart, increase in us fervor in prayer! O Immaculate Heart, lead us to penance! O Immaculate Heart, obtain for us the zeal to make many sacrifice in this battle with Satan and the world! O Immaculate Heart, help us to overcome our worldliness! O Immaculate Heart, help us to overcome our indifference! O Immaculate Heart, help us repair the damage caused by our sins! O Immaculate Heart, obtain for us a sorrow for our negligence and sins! O Immaculate Heart, help us repair the damges caused by our negligences and sins. O Mother of Mercy, have mercy on the sins of America! O Mother of Mercy, intercede for sinners in America! O Mother of Mercy, convert the sinners of America! O Mother of Mercy, uproot the spirit of blasphemy and irreligion! O Mother of Mercy, help us repair the grievous sin of abortion! O Mother of Mercy, bring to an end the spirit and practice of contraception! O Mother of Mercy, stamp out the spirit of lust and impurity! O Mother of Mercy, destroy the spirit of adultery and fornication! O Mother of Mercy, overcome the spirit of homosexuality! O Mother of Mercy, bring to an end the abuse of children! O Mother of Mercy, overcome the hypocrisy of racism! O Mother of Mercy, cast out all alcoholism and drug abuse! O Mother of Mercy, remove from us a desire for riches and wealth! O Mother of Mercy, remove from us a spirit of greed and avarice! O Mother of Mercy, replace our materialism with a true spirituality! O Virgin Most Powerful, help us to put God before country! O Virgin Most Powerful, help us to put the Faith before our politics! O Virgin Most Powerful, convert America to the Catholic Faith! O Virgin Most Powerful, convert or destroy the enemies of God and the Faith! O Virgin Most Powerful, obtain for us a Catholic government! O Virgin Most Powerful, replace pagan schools with truly Catholic schools! O Virgin Most Powerful, grant that the laws of the Nation comply with the laws of God! O Virgin Most Powerful, replace our secular sinful culture with a religious Catholic culture! O Virgin Most Powerful, make us value grace more than money! O Virgin Most Powerful, replace our vices with virtues! O Virgin Most Powerful, bring about the Social Reign of Christ the King! Lamb of God, Who takest away the sins of the world, Spare us, O Lord. Lamb of God, Who takest away the sins of the world, Graciously hear us, O Lord. Lamb of God, Who takest away the sins of the world, Have mercy on us. V. Pray for us, O holy Mother of God, R. That we may be made worthy of the promises of Christ. Let us pray: O Most powerful Mother of God, bring America to repentance and reconciliation with God. Grant America the humility to see her innumerable sins, offenses and negligences against God and the grace to do worthy penance and make sufficient reparation for them. Crush Satan’s empire of sin and erect the social reign of Christ the King―so that throughout the land we may witness a hatred of sin and a true love of God. Though our sins be like scarlet, make them white as snow! We ask this through Christ thy Son, Who lives and reigns with the Father, in the unity of the Holy Spirit, world without end. Amen. An Act of Consecration
Most Holy Trinity: Our Father in Heaven, Who chose Mary as the fairest of Your daughters; Holy Spirit, Who chose Mary as Your Spouse; God of Son, Who chose Mary as Your Mother; in union with Mary, we adore Your Majesty and acknowledge Your supreme, eternal dominion and authority.
Most Holy Trinity, we put the United States of America into the hands of Mary Immaculate, in order that she may present the country to You. Through her we wish to thank for You the great resources of this land and for the freedom, which has been its heritage. Through the intercession of Mary, have mercy on the Catholic Church in America. Grant us peace. Have mercy on our president and all the officers of our government. Grant us a fruitful economy born of justice and charity. Have mercy on capital and industry and labor. Protect the family life of the nation. Guard the precious gift of many religious vocations. Through the intercession of our Mother, have mercy on the sick, the poor, the tempted, sinners ― on all who are in need. Mary, Immaculate Virgin, our Mother, Patroness of our land, we praise you and honor you and give our country and ourselves to your Sorrowful and Immaculate Heart. O Sorrowful and Immaculate Heart of Mary, pierced by the sword of sorrow prophesied by Simeon, save us from degeneration, disaster and war. Protect us from all harm. O Sorrowful and Immaculate Heart of Mary, who bore the sufferings of your Son in the depths of your heart, be our advocate. Pray for us, that acting always according to your will and the will of your divine Son, we may live and die pleasing to God. Amen. Prayer to the Precious Blood for
the Conversion of Our Country (Based on Prayer No. 54 from the Raccolta) O good Jesus, prostrate at Thy feet, we humbly implore Thee, by Thy most sacred wounds and by the Precious Blood, which Thou didst shed for the salvation of the whole world, that Thou wouldst deign to cast a look of pity on the people of this country, starved or seduced from the Faith for so many centuries, and plunged in the darkness of heresy, separated from Thy Church, deprived of the participation of the adorable Sacrament of Thy Body and Blood, and of the other Sacraments instituted by Thee, as the refuge of souls in life and in death.
Remember, O Redeemer of the world, that for these souls too Thou didst suffer bitter death, with the loss of all Thy Precious Blood. Bring back, O good Shepherd, these wandering sheep of Thine to the one fold and to the healthy pastures of Thy Church, so that they may form with us one flock, tended by Thee, and by Thy Vicar on earth, the supreme Pontiff, whom, in the person of the Apostle St. Peter, Thou didst commission to feed Thy sheep and Thy lambs. Graciously hear, O good Jesus, the prayers which we offer Thee with the most lively trust in the love of Thy Sacred Heart and the power of Thy Precious Blood. May praise, glory, and honor be given to Thy most Holy Name and Thy Precious Blood, world without end. Amen. Prayer for the Preservation of Faith
(Based on Prayer No. 58 from the Raccolta) O my Redeemer, will that terrible moment ever come, when but few Christians will be found animated with a spirit of Faith? That frightening moment when, provoked to indignation, Thou wilt remove from us Thy paternal protection? The vices, the evil habits of our children, have perhaps irrevocably moved Thy justice this very day to vengeance!
O Thou who art the Author and Goal of our Faith, by the power of Thy Precious Blood, we implore Thee, in the bitterness of our hearts, humbled and contrite, not to permit the beautiful light of Faith to be extinguished in us. Be mindful of Thy mercies of old; cast a compassionate regard upon that vine which Thou hast planted with Thy right hand—which was bedewed with the sweat of the Apostles; watered with the precious blood of thousands upon thousands of martyrs and the tears of so many generous penitents; and made fruitful by the prayers of so many confessors and innocent virgins. O divine Mediator, by the power of Thy Precious Blood, have regard for those zealous souls who incessantly raise their hearts to Thee and pray for the maintenance of that most precious treasure, the true Faith. Suspend, O most just God, the decree of our reprobation; turn away Thine eyes from our sins, and fix them on the adorable Blood, shed upon the Cross as the price of salvation, and daily pleading for it, on our behalf, upon our altars. O, preserve us in the true Catholic Roman Faith. Infirmities afflict us, annoyances wear us down, misfortunes oppress us: but maintain for us Thy Holy Faith; for, endowed with this precious gift, we shall willingly bear every sorrow, and nothing can affect our happiness. On the other hand, without this supreme treasure of the Faith, our misfortunes will be unspeakable and immense. O good Jesus, Author of our Faith, by the power of Thy Precious Blood, keep it pure; keep us safe within the bark of Peter, faithful and obedient to his successor, Thy Vicar here on earth, that so the unity of Holy Church may be preserved, holiness fostered, the Holy See kept free and protected, and the universal Church extended, to the advantage of souls. O Jesus, Author of our Faith, by the power of Thy Precious Blood, humble and convert the enemies of Thy Church; bestow on all Kings and Christian Princes, and on all the faithful, peace and true unity; strengthen and maintain all in Thy holy service, to the end that we may live by Thee and die in Thee. Ah, my Jesus, Author of our Faith, in Thee I wish to live, and in Thee I wish to die. Amen. |
ONE HELL OF A BATTLE IN WASHINGTON!
The latest article is the one below. Scroll down for the earlier articles. Article 29
Is Communism Taking Over America? On July 15th, 1946, the American Catholic historian, Professor William Thomas Walsh, was granted an interview with SISTER LUCIA OF FATIMA, at her convent of the Dorothean Sisters at Vilar, Portugal. He recorded the incident in his popular book, Our Lady of Fatima. This interview clearly demonstrates that Our Lady’s request for the Consecration of Russia will only be fulfilled when, together, the Pope and the world’s Catholic bishops consecrate specifically Russia:
“Finally we came to the important subject of the second July secret, of which so many different and conflicting versions have been published. Lucia made it plain that Our Lady did not ask for the consecration of the world to her Immaculate Heart. What she demanded specifically was the consecration of Russia.” “She did not comment, of course, on the fact that Pope Pius XII had consecrated the world, not Russia, to the Immaculate Heart in 1942. But she said more than once, and with deliberate emphasis: ‘What Our Lady wants is that the Pope and all the bishops in the world shall consecrate Russia to her Immaculate Heart on one special day. If this is done, she will convert Russia and there will be peace. If it is not done, the errors of Russia will spread through every country in the world.’ “Does this mean, in your opinion, that every country, without exception, will be overcome by Communism?” “Yes!” replied Sister Lucia. The Plots and Plans of Communists First of all, you must realize that the Communist Party is some kind of independent power whom nobody outside of Communism controls. Communism is controlled just as all the other enemies of the Church and world are controlled―the Capitalists, the Bankers, the Freemasons, the Media, etc. The one ultimately in charge of them all is Satan, who uses them in his never-ending battle with God and His Church. Nevertheless, just as God works though human instruments, so too does Satan work through human instruments―and Communism is one of those many instruments. Before we get into Communism overcoming America, let us look at the testimony of several Communists with regard to their plans to destroy the Church―for the principles always remain the same, even though they are modified in the practical field to suit the target they are working on. DOUGLAS HYDE (1911-1996), was an Englishman who joined the Communist Party in England in 1928 aged 17, and eventually became the editor of the London Communist until 1948, when he left the Communist Party due to converting to the Catholic Faith. Hyde is referenced as having stated that “in the 1930s the Communist leadership issued a worldwide directive about infiltrating the Catholic Church.” After Hyde left the Communist and became a Catholic, he was shocked by the Catholic inferiority complex of being a minority in England―around 4.5 million Catholics in a population of around 45 million. Hyde writes: “One thing I had not bargained for was the many people I met who told me that the Catholic community in Britain suffered from something they described as a minority complex. I had not expected this, because I was coming from an organization [Communist Party in England] which at that time had some 45,000 members to one which was numerically 100 times as strong and which represented some 10% of Britain’s population. Even in the days when we Communists could only boast some 15,000 members, we believed that when the right circumstances came, as come they must, we would make Britain Communist and would do so with the support of the mass of the people. Whatever else we may have suffered from, we had no minority complex!” DR. BELLA DODD (1904–1969), in the USA, was a fallen-away Catholic from childhood, graduated from the School of Law at New York University where she received a Degree of Doctor of Jurisprudence. A schoolteacher and lawyer by profession, Dodd was an organizer for the CPUSA (Communist Party of the United States of America) from 1932 to 1948, and from 1944 to 1948 sat on the CPUSA’s National Council. She also served as head of the New York State Teachers Union. After her defection from the Communist Party in 1949, she testified that one of her jobs, as a Communist agent, was to encourage young radicals to enter Roman Catholic seminaries. She returned to the Faith in 1952, thanks to Archbishop Fulton Sheen. In her public affidavit, among other things, Dr. Bella V. Dodd stated: “In the late 1920s and 1930s, directives were sent from Moscow to all Communist Party organizations. In order to destroy the Roman Catholic Church from within, party members were to be planted in seminaries and within diocesan organizations ... In the 1930’s we put eleven hundred (1,100) men into the priesthood, in order to destroy the Church from within. The idea was for these men to be ordained, and then climb the ladder of influence and authority as Monsignors and Bishops. Right now they are in the highest places in the Church … with no fewer than four cardinals within the Vatican who were working for us [i.e. the Communist Party].” In 1953, she testified before the US Senate about widespread Communist Party infiltration of labor unions and other institutions. On March 11th, 1953, The New York Times ran a front page article entitled “Bella Dodd Asserts Reds Got Presidential Advisory Posts.” The article reported that Dodd “swore before the Senate Internal Security subcommittee today that Communists had got into many legislative offices of Congress and into a number of groups advising the President of the United States.” The New York Times reported on March 8th, 1954 that Bella Dodd “...warned yesterday that the ‘materialistic philosophy, which she said was now guiding public education, would eventually demoralize the nation.” MRS. JOHNINE LEININGER, a close friend of Dodd, confirmed that other people could also verify that Dr. Bella Dodd had made these statements regarding the infiltration of Communists into Roman Catholic seminaries. Mrs. Leininger has also said that she herself knows some Roman Catholic priests who were “sleepers” ― an espionage term for individuals or groups who refrain from any subversive, espionage, and/or infiltrator functions until they become “active.” Mrs. Leininger stated that she knows of several priests who faithfully taught the Catholic religion, until they became bishops, or were promoted to other influential posts, and then, upon becoming “active”, immediately exhibited hostility to that same Faith, which they had previously professed. Around ten years before the Second Vatican Council she stated that: “Right now they are in the highest places in the Church” — where they were working to bring about change in order to weaken the Church’s effectiveness against Communism. She also said that these changes would be so drastic that “you will not recognize the Catholic Church.” MANNING R. JOHNSON belonged to the Communist party in the 1940s and early 1950s, during which time he authored the book Color, Communism and Common Sense. Manning R. Johnson was the Communist candidate for U.S. Representative from New York 22nd District, 1935; he subsequently left the party. After leaving the Party, he testified in 1953 before the House un-American Activities Committee regarding the Communist Agenda and the Catholic Church: “Once the tactic of infiltration of religious organizations was set by the Kremlin ... the Communists discovered that the destruction of religion could proceed much faster through infiltration of the (Catholic) Church by Communists operating within the Church itself. The Communist leadership in the United States realized that the infiltration tactic in this country would have to adapt itself to American conditions (Europe also had its cells) and the religious make-up peculiar to this country. In the earliest stages it was determined that with only small forces available to them, it would be necessary to concentrate Communist agents in the seminaries. The practical conclusion drawn by the Red leaders was that these institutions would make it possible for a small Communist minority to influence the ideology of future clergymen in the paths conducive to Communist purposes. It is the axiom of Communist organization’s strategy that if a body has 1% Communist Party and 9% Party sympathizers, this 10% can effectively control the remaining 90% who act and think on an individual basis. This policy of infiltrating seminaries was successful beyond even our Communist expectations.” YURI BEZMENOV, was a former Russian KGB agent, who became disenchanted with Communism and the way it operated, and consequently defected to the West in 1970. He came to America, but after some years finally settled in Canada, where he lectured and wrote about the KGB’s techniques for subverting the West. The Russian KGB was basically a spy agency. The agency was a military service governed by army laws and regulations. Its main functions were foreign intelligence, counter-intelligence, operative-investigative activities, guarding the state border of the USSR, guarding the leadership of the Central Committee of the Communist Party and the Soviet Government, organization and security of government communications as well as combating nationalist, dissident, religious and anti-Soviet activities. Throughout the 1960s, Yuri Bezmenov worked for the KGB primarily in India, where he spread Soviet propaganda and disinformation to the Western world. In 1985 he was featured in a television interview which is still available on YouTube. During the interview, Bezmenov explains the KGB’s activities are less about espionage in the classic James Bond sense (only 15%), and more concerned with “Ideological Subversion” (85%) which is used to secretly undermine the American government through psychological warfare. Ideological subversion, Bezmenov said, is a long-term process involving four stages: (1) Demoralization, (2) Destabilization, (3) Crisis Creation and (4) Normalization. Yuri Bezmenov explains that the goal is to make Americans subvert their fellow Americans: “In the context of the USA, most of these nasty things are done to America by Americans. The American romance with state-run education―as encouraged by KGB subverters―has already produced generations of graduates who cannot spell, cannot find Nicaragua on a world map, cannot THINK creatively and independently. I wonder if Albert Einstein would have arrived at his Theory of Relativity if he had been educated in one of today’s American public schools. Most likely he would have ‘discovered’ marijuana and variant methods of sexual intercourse instead. Wouldn’t you agree that KGB sponsored demoralization is not going to produce the dynamic, talented and fruitful young Americans of the future? Contemporary American permissiveness and moral relativity in education have greatly facilitated Soviet ideological subversion tactics. “The main methods of Soviet DEMORALIZATION of American education are: (1) Student Exchanges whereby American students and professors go to Moscow and are exposed to ideological brainwashing―sometimes lacking the proper education that would allow them to assess the Soviet information they receive objectively. (2) Flooding of campus bookstores with Marxist and Socialist literature published both in the USSR and by domestic ‘fellow travelers’; (3) International seminars and conferences with Soviet participation, where Soviet propaganda seldom is balanced by opposing viewpoints; (4) Infiltration of schools and universities by radicals, leftists, and simply ‘disturbers’, often functioning unknowingly under the direct guidance of KGB Agents of Influence. (5) Establishing numerous ‘student’ newspapers and magazines, staffed with Communists and sympathizers; (6) Organizing ‘study groups’ and ‘circles’ for dissemination of Soviet propaganda and Communist ideology. The eventual result is very predictable: ignorance combined with anti-Americanism. That’s good enough for the KGB at this stage of subversion. “The American media is a willing recipient of Soviet subversion. I know this, because I worked with American journalists and correspondents in Moscow while on the Soviet side, and after my defection to the West. People habitually refer to the American media as ‘free’, ignoring the obvious and commonly known fact that most of the most powerful media in the USA, is already MONOPOLIZED both financially and ideologically by what are referred to as ‘Liberals’. American media ‘chains’ BELONG to fewer and fewer owners, who, do not seem to mind that the media is being almost totally ‘Liberalized’. Liberalism, in its old classical sense, means above all, respect to individual opinion and tolerance to opposing views. However, in my own experience, Communist defectors who have requested and sometimes literally begged, to have stories of their life in the Soviet Union told to the American people via the major American media have been completely ignored. One of the most devastating methods of Soviet subversion in American media is the DISCREDITING of authors like myself and the information and opinion of those who come up with clear evidence of Communist crimes against mankind. “Introduction of NON-ISSUES is another powerful method of demoralizing at the level of IDEAS. It will take another full size book to describe in detail this method. Suffice it will be here to give a brief definition of NON-ISSUES. An issue, the solution of which creates more and bigger problems for majority of a nation, even though it may benefit a few, is a non-issue (civil rights of homosexuals is not an issue; defending sexual morality is the larger, real issue). The main purpose of non-issues and the devastating result of their introduction is the SIDE-TRACKING of public opinion, energy (both mental and physical), money and TIME from the constructive solutions. Soviet propaganda elevated the art of infiltrating and emphasizing non-issues in American public life to the level of actual state policy. Article 28
Are You Sure You Want to Go Down This Road? Who the Hell Can You Vote For? Part 3: Examining JD Vance & Tim Walz One man is born and raised a traditional Catholic and then becomes a Protestant. The other man is born a Protestant, becomes an atheist and then converts to Conservative Catholicism! What a mixed bag of contradictions these election running mates produce! A religious merry-go-round or a game of musical chairs (or musical religions) ― you go round in circles and sit yourself on whatever religious chair happens to there when the music stops!
As religious faith declines, ideological intensity for politics rises. There is an ever growing desire and belief in a secular redemption through politics. From 1937 to 1998, church membership remained relatively constant, hovering at about 70%. Then something happened. Over the past two decades, that number has dropped to less than 50%, the sharpest recorded decline in American history. Meanwhile, the “nones”—atheists, agnostics, and those claiming no religion—have grown rapidly and today represent a quarter of the population. The First Amendment to the U.S. Constitution says that the country shall have no official religion, and Americans have been debating where to draw the line between religion and government since the country’s founding. According to a 2021 analysis, most Americans (70%) want churches and other houses of worship to stay out of politics. According to a survey conducted in spring 2022, nearly three-quarters of U.S. adults (73%) say religion should be kept separate from government policies ― so, the bottom line is, no room for God in Congress! The Supreme Court ruled in 1962 that it’s unconstitutional for a teacher to lead a class in prayer at a public school, and only three-in-ten U.S. adults said in a March 2021 survey that public school educators should be allowed to do this. Almost all U.S. presidents have been Christian of one flavor or another. Biden is only the second Catholic president (after John F. Kennedy), while the vast majority of others have been Protestant ― most often Episcopalian or Presbyterian. Most presidents have been sworn in with a Bible, and they traditionally seal their oath of office with the phrase “…so help me God” ― but nobody turn to God for advice, nor do they feel obliged to follow all of God’s laws! It seems as though have never heard of or reject Our Lord’s words when He says: “Without Me―you can do nothing!” (John 15:5). According to a survey conducted in February 2020, only 20% of Americans feel it is “very important for a president to have strong religious beliefs”; and only 32% feel it only “somewhat important” for a president to have strong religious beliefs, the rest don’t really give a damn! According to a January 2021 analysis, Congress has always been overwhelmingly Christian, and roughly nine-in-ten representatives (88%) identify as Christian ― 99% of Republicans and 78% of Democrats, which gives the average of 88%. Congress is both more heavily Protestant than the U.S. population overall (55% of Congress vs. 40% of the population) and more heavily Catholic (30% of Congress vs. 21% of the population) ― yet Congress still manages to pass more and more anti-Christian laws! According to a February 2020 survey, only 23% of adults say the Bible should influence U.S. laws a great deal; 26% say there should be some influence of the Bible on laws; only 28% say the Bible should prevail over the will of the people if the two are at odds; and 50% of Americans say the Bible shouldn’t influence U.S. laws. The chart below shows what kind of commitment Democrats and Republicans have to attending church services. 
JD VANCE (Republican Running Mate of Trump, Potential Vice-President)
Donald Trump’s running mate J.D. Vance had been raised an Evangelical and Pentecostal Christian―but in name only. Vance wasn’t baptized as a child. The family members he spent the most time around generally didn’t go to church. As an adolescent, Vance reconnected with his biological father, whom he hadn’t seen much of after his parents split up. His father had given up drinking and became a serious Evangelical Pentecostal, and he would take Vance to a large Pentecostal church in southeastern Ohio with his new wife and their children. Vance grew up loosely evangelical Christian. He writes in his book, Hillbilly Elegy, that his commitment to his father’s church was strong but short-lived. During his college and early adult years Vance called himself an atheist. Vance has written extensively about his life in faith, both in a mega-selling memoir and in a long essay that describes how he was a drug-using teenager with anger problems, family problems, school problems, and doubts about God. In a 2020 essay for The Lamp, a Catholic journal, Vance said his atheism stemmed from “a desire for social acceptance among American elites” who surrounded him in college and at Yale Law School. In that article JD Vance describes himself as “someone who spent a lot of his life buying into the lie that you had to be stupid to be a Christian … I also went through an angry atheist phase … By the time I left the Marines in 2007 and began college at The Ohio State University, I called myself an atheist … I had constructed the idea that dumb people were Christians and smart ones atheists ... For so long, I hid my unbelief from my family … I didn’t think to myself, «I am not going to be a Christian because Christians are rubes and I want to plant myself firmly in the meritocratic master class.» Socialization operates in more subtle, but more powerful ways … I responded to the educated caste to which I slowly gained exposure. In college, very few of my friends and even fewer of my professors had any sort of religious faith. Secularism may not have been a prerequisite to join the elites―but it sure made things easier.” In an interview with First Things, Vance stated: “There’s an entire Christian moral and economic worldview that is completely cut out of modern American politics, and I think it’s important to try to bring that back!” Today, since his conversion to Catholicism, in 2019, Vance knows that it will not―ultimately―be politicians who ever solve the crisis of our times. That will only come about when mankind finally submits to the authority of God, rather than to worldly power. Yet therein lies the problem―worldly power has no desire of relinquishing its authority in order to humbly and obediently place itself under the yoke of God! We seem to be in a vicious circle which has us continually spiraling downwards towards Hell. Make no mistake about it―Satan is control of world today and that means he has to be in control of politics. As the recently deceased (2016) chief exorcist of Rome, Fr. Gabriele Amorth, said: “The influence of Satan is immense! Today, Satan has free hands … Everybody is vulnerable to the work of Satan! … Satan continually tries to dominate the world ― the whole world is in the power of the evil one … The smoke of Satan has entered everywhere. Everywhere! Today Satan rules the world … The demon tempts every authority, those of politics and industry [and even in family]. Evil exists in politics―quite often in fact! The devil loves to take over business leaders and those who hold political office!” Our Lady of La Salette and Good Success said: “Lucifer, together with a large number of demons, will be unloosed from Hell; they will put an end to Faith, little by little, even in those dedicated to God … God will allow the old serpent to cause divisions among those who reign in every society and in every family … Many will turn upon Religion! … Many people will rebel against the spirit of the Catholic Church, impelled by the malice of the devil!” We see this “little by little” erosion of the Faith more clearly today. In 1972, 90% of Americans used to identify as Christians. It’s about 65% today. The “nones” ― those who have no religious affiliation ― have gone from 5% of America in 1972 to almost 30% of America today. Amongst young people, it’s over 40% of America that have no religious affiliation. So we are facing an entirely different religious landscape today than we did 50 years ago. Politicians are more interested in what the people think than what God thinks―it is the people that vote them into Congress! Therefore, the politicians have to accommodate themselves to the views and opinions of the people. Yet some of those opinions are diametrically opposed to one another―the “Pro-Life” and “Pro-Choice” groups are a perfect example of that. The “Pro-Life” group is opposed to abortion, while “Pro-Choice” group advocated abortion. This has led to the once staunch anti-abortion Republican Party to compromising its position on abortion. A recent CNN news report (October 13th, 2024) stated: “Republicans … are starting to sound like Democrats. GOP candidates in suburbs of places like Tucson, Des Moines and Syracuse are going public with vows never to criminalize abortion or support a national ban. Some are going further: Rep. John Duarte of California’s Central Valley, Rep. Tom Kean Jr. in northern New Jersey and GOP candidate Matt Gunderson in the San Diego area have all described themselves as «pro choice» — with the latter even speaking directly to camera in his first TV ad and borrowing Bill Clinton’s phrase calling for the procedure to be «safe, legal and rare.» Swing-seat Republicans are carefully rebranding themselves on abortion after largely failing to respond to relentless Democratic attacks that cost the Republicans big last cycle ... Even as swing-seat Republicans attempt to paint a more nuanced view of the GOP’s stance on abortion, the national party has often muddled that message. In recent days, former first lady Melania Trump disclosed she supports the right to an abortion «free from any intervention» — while Donald Trump’s running mate, Sen. J.D. Vance of Ohio, took the staunchly conservative position of vowing to defund Planned Parenthood. And it all underscores a critical weakness for the GOP fewer than 30 days from the election. The party still struggles to respond to an issue that makes up the vast majority of Democratic attacks this cycle: 80% of spending on TV ads by the House Democrats’ two main groups went to ads focusing on abortion ... Behind closed doors, Republican leaders have spent months working with battleground candidates, particularly in New York and California, to sell a more moderate message on the issue ... In some cases, Republicans are trying to walk back — or completely abandon — their past anti-abortion rights views. Trump’s position [is] that the matter should be left up to the states ― is effectively pro-abortion rights.” (CNN Report, October 13th, 2042). Vance ran for Senate in 2022 on a platform that promised to “end abortion,” saying he would like the procedure to be “illegal nationally” and suggesting that he might be open to restrictions to stop women from leaving the state for abortion care. However, Vance, a staunch abortion opponent, since joining the ticket this summer, has adopted Trump’s call for leaving abortion up to states to decide. Now, in October 2024, Vance seems to be softening or disguising his earlier total opposition to any kind of abortion―he is quoted as saying: “On the abortion question, the president's been very clear that he wants Georgia to make Georgia's laws, California to make California's laws and to respect the fact that we kind of have a messy democracy where sometimes different states are going to make different determinations on these issues.” (Yahoo News). An NBC news report on October 1st, 2024, looked at JD Vance’s stance: “On the vice presidential debate stage Tuesday night, Senator JD Vance of Ohio conceded that Republicans needed to do a better job of talking to women about the issue of abortion … Vance did go on to say that he and Trump were consistent that abortion policies should differ from state to state to represent a «diverse» country: «California has a different viewpoint on this than Georgia. Georgia has a different viewpoint from Arizona. And the proper way to handle this, as messy as democracy sometimes is, is to let voters make these decisions, let the individual states make their abortion policy» he said.” (NBC News Report, October 1st, 2024). The modified and softened stance of Trump and Vance on abortion might be better than the stance of Harris and Walz―who are totally “gung-ho” on abortion―but by leaving and allowing each state to vote on abortion is like saying: “Murder is okay if most you vote that way! I don’t agree with murdering babies, but I will accept it reluctantly if you decide to vote to murder babies!” The Republicans are hamstrung on the issue of abortion―they are “damned if they do and damned if they don’t.” If they stand firm on abortion (which is one of crucial and major issues in the build up to this election), then they will lose many votes, because currently, 63% of Americans say abortion should be legal in all or most cases, while only 36% say it should be illegal in all or most cases. If Trump and Vance are after the Catholic vote―then they know that 60% of Catholics are today say abortion should be legal in all or most cases! Stand firm on abortion and you risk losing the damned election. Compromise on abortion and you risk losing your damned soul! If you soften your stand abortion and allow each state to essentially do what it wants, then you will get a lot more votes―but you will lose the most important vote, which is God’s “vote” and you risk damning your soul for allowing the widespread murder of babies. Trump and Walz seem to reluctantly compromised on abortion for the sake of votes! Would the murdered babies vote for them? O the dangers of modern day politics! As Our Lord warned: “What does it profit a man if he gains the whole world, but suffers the loss of his own soul? Or what exchange shall a man give for his soul?” (Matthew 16:26). What does it profit a politician to gain more votes if he loses his own soul? Our Lady’s haunting words come to mind: “There will be a total corruption of morals, for Satan will reign almost completely by means of the Masonic Sects … They will focus particularly on the children, in order to achieve this general corruption … Woe to the children of these times!” Sister Lucia of Fatima said that Satan would focus upon the family in his final battle with the Blessed Virgin. On this issue of the battle over the family, speaking at the 2021 Napa Institute event (Napa is a Conservative Catholic organization), Vance said: “We have, I believe, a civilizational crisis in this country. Even among healthy, intact families, they’re not having enough kids such that we’re going to have a long-term future in this country.” For his Senate campaign, also in 2021, Vance praised the Hungarian political strongman, Viktor Orbán, for policies that incentivized marriage and children. Orbán’s government had offered loans to married couples that were forgiven if the couple stayed together and had three children. (Orbán is not himself Catholic but has privileged Christianity in a country dominated by Catholicism). “Why can’t we do that here?” Vance asked. “Why can’t we actually promote family formation?” The intentions are good―but how can Vance bring those things to come about in an America that is happily going in the opposite direction to what Vance wants? Vance’s stance and attitude will not win many votes among a largely Liberal, wayward, sinful and self-governing “king of my own castle” mentality that prevails amongst the majority. Politics will not change them for the better―only God’s grace can do that―but there is no talk and even less effort in seeking out and securing that much needed help of grace. Instead of so much “political talk” we need much more “spiritual action.” In 1664, in Laus, in France, Our Lady made the first of many apparitions to a young girl named Benedicta (Benoite). She entrusted her with the mission of correcting the souls of sinners. To help her in this mission, Our Lady obtained for her the grace of being able to read the states of souls (much like Padre Pio). Our Lady asked Benedicta, among other things, to admonish women and girls about living lives of scandal, especially those who commit abortion, the unjust wealthy and perverse. How few must the number of abortions have been back in 1664―yet Our Lady wanted them eliminating! What would she say today with the average number of worldwide abortions being around 50 million per year!??!! JD Vance, since converting to Catholicism in 2019, may well be trying to mold and fashion political policies on Catholic lines (as much as possible), but, as we all know, it only takes one unconfessed and unrepented mortal sin on the soul to damn a soul! Abortion is without the slightest doubt a serious mortal sin. As the Catholic Church teaches, we can be guilty of the sins of others in nine chief ways: (1) by consent; (2) by concealment; (3) by command; (4) by counsel; (5) by partaking; (6) by provocation; (7) by praise or flattery; (8) by silence; (9) by defense of the ill done. It has to be asked whether Vance (and Trump) are guilty of one or more of those nine-ways. Much more could be said upon the subject of JD Vance, but let us now focus upon his opponent, Tim Walz. TIM WALZ (Democrat Running Mate of Harris, Potential Vice-President) Our Lord warned: “You cannot serve God and mammon!” (Matthew 6:24) ― yet that is exactly what Tim Walz, a professed Lutheran and fallen-away Catholic, is trying to do. He is trying to serve God and politics―and the two do not mix these says, especially when politics increasingly rejects the laws of God and replaces them with sinful ‘laws’. Tim Walz was born and raised Catholic―but abandoned the Faith when aged around 20. He chose to accept the Lutheran religion of the woman he married. Today, Tim Walz identifies himself as a “Minnesota Lutheran.” But long before that, he was a Nebraska Catholic. With Kamala Harris being raised in an interfaith household―she grew up going to both a Black Baptist church and a Hindu temple―and having married religiously practicing Jewish man, you would think Harris and Walz have cast their ‘religious net’ far and wide! They can appeal to Protestants―especially Baptists (Harris) and Lutherans (Walz). Approximately 15% of Americans identify as Baptist. Lutherans form about 16% of the country’s population. Catholics account for 23% of the population with 10% of all US Catholics having left the Church (Walz) and 80% of Catholics not practicing their Faith by regularly attending Sunday Mass. Protestants as a whole (Harris and Walz) account for around 50% of the US population, By having abandoned the Catholic Faith and having embraced a heretical faith of Lutheranism, Walz has placed himself in a state of mortal sin and continues to live in that heretical state. That mortal sin is compounded by several other mortal sins―one of those being a staunch advocate of abortion (murder of babies), and the other being a staunch supporter of LGBTW+ principles and ‘rights’. U.S. Lutherans, like the majority of American Jewry, tend to lean liberal. According to the Pew Research Center, 71% of U.S. Lutherans believe homosexuality should be accepted, 65% say abortion should be legal in all or most cases and 63% favor same-sex marriage. There are several denominations of Lutherans in the U.S., the largest of which is the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America. It is also the most liberal. It allows same-sex marriages and LGBTQ+ clergy. This is the denomination to which Walz belongs. Pilgrim Lutheran Church―which is the church that Walz attends―welcomes and affirms people who identify as LGBTQ+ and follow those lifestyles. “Pilgrim is a Reconciling in Christ church,” its website states, “which includes a partnership with Reconciling Works, a ministry devoted to welcoming, celebrating, and advocating for the full inclusion of LGBTQIA+ individuals in Lutheran faith communities. Reconciling Works advocates for the acceptance, full participation, and liberation of all sexual orientations, gender identities, and gender expressions within the Lutheran Church.” Reconciling Works offers trainings with titles such as “Lutheran Introduction to Sexual Orientation, Gender Identity, & Gender Expression [SOGIE],” and “Let’s talk SOGIE.” It directs youth and families to PFLAG, an LGBTQ+ activist group that lobbies for explicit books in school libraries and against legislation to protect minors from gender-transition procedures. All six members of the Reconciling Works Board of Directors identity as LGBTQ+, not including their non-binary chaplain. The current chair of the board has three children, two of whom (ages 9 and 14) also identify as LGBTQ+, while she considers the youngest, age 4, to be “he/him until otherwise declared.” In addition to its partnership with Reconciling Works, Pilgrim Lutheran also incorporates LGBTQ-inclusivity throughout its church culture. Its staff page lists the preferred pronouns of every team member, including one, a kindergarten teacher, who identifies as “she/they.” The church also hosts a trans-friendly, monthly event for mothers, advertising, “All those who identify themselves as mamas from Pilgrim are invited to a Pilgrim Mamas get together approximately once a month in the later evening.” The ELCA (Evangelical Lutheran Church in America) ― to which Tim Walz belongs ― is known as one of the most left-leaning mainline denominations. In 2017, the ELCA Church Council adopted a resolution expressing complete agreement with “Campaign Zero,” described as a “10-point policy platform” created by activists with the Black Lives Matter movement designed to “improve relationships between local law enforcement officers and the communities in which they serve.” In 2020, the ELCA distributed a handbook titled Lutheran Introduction To Sexual Orientation, Gender Identity, & Gender Expression to its churches. The ECLA promoted the handbook on its X account, which showed several name tags giving people space to write their names and identify their pronouns. The list of available pronouns to choose from extends far beyond those associated with male and female. The ELCA handbook provides definitions for the terms “sexual orientation,” “gender identity” and “gender expression.” It insists that “gender identity” is “a person’s innate, deeply felt psychological identification as a man, woman or another gender, which may or may not correspond to the sex assigned to them at birth.” It defines “gender expression” as “the external characteristics and behaviors that are socially defined as either masculine or feminine, such as dress, grooming, mannerisms, speech patterns and social interactions.” The handbook defines “sexual orientation” as “the term used to describe what gender(s) someone is physically and/or emotionally attracted to.” In 2021, the ECLA became the first mainline denomination to install a trans-identified bishop―Rev. Megan Rohrer. A 2022 vote taken by the ECLA suggests that the church may abandon conscience protections for clergy members who still believe in traditional teachings about sexuality. The “prayer corner” notes Pilgrim church’s status as a “Reconciling in Christ community of faith.” The website for the LGBT advocacy group Reconciling Works: Lutherans for Full Participation, identifies Pilgrim church as one of several “Reconciling in Christ” partners. The nonprofit organization characterizes its mission as seeking “the full welcome, inclusion, and equity of lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, queer, intersex, and asexual/aromantic (LGBTQIA+) Lutherans in all aspects of the life of their Church, congregations, and community.” It offers training for churches called “Let’s Talk About SOGIE” that instructs congregations on “ways to extend hospitality to our LGBTQIA+ siblings.” Reconciling Works also has a “youth and family ministry” with links to resources including PFLAG, which is listed as “the nation’s largest family and ally organization” that works to unite “people who are lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, and queer (LGBTQ) with families, friends, and allies” and achieve “equality and full societal affirmation of LGBTQ people through its threefold mission of support, education, and advocacy.” PFLAG insists that “families need to be free to access care that is in their child’s best interest.” It portrays gender transition surgeries that remove healthy body parts from trans-identified children as “life-affirming” and “life-saving.” Walz’s Gender Ideology During Walz’s tenure as governor, he has supported the promotion of gender ideology in the classroom setting, backed laws to ensure doctors can perform sex-change operations on minors, and supported a ban on counseling services that discourage minors from changing their gender. In March 2023, Walz signed an executive order that directed that state agencies must “protect” people who seek sex-change operations, including children, and must refuse to cooperate with other states that are trying to penalize anyone for facilitating a sex-change operation on a minor. The following month, he signed a bill that allows Minnesota courts to take temporary emergency jurisdiction over child custody disputes if one parent takes a child into the state to obtain a sex-change operation or sex-change drugs. The bill prohibits Minnesota courts from cooperating with court orders from other states if the other parent is trying to prevent the child from obtaining the drugs or the operation. In April 2023, Walz also signed a bill that prohibits mental health professionals from providing “conversion therapy.” The bill’s definition of conversion therapy includes counseling services that help children with gender dysphoria become more comfortable with their biological sex. Rather, the law explicitly protects counseling that seeks to socially transition a child’s gender. Walz’s support of gender ideology also extended to the classroom. He signed legislation that prohibits local school boards from removing books from school libraries that promote gender ideology and contain controversial material that some parents believe are sexually explicit. The law also prohibits public libraries and colleges from restricting such material. The law states that only professional librarians or someone with certain qualifications can determine what books are provided in the libraries. Another law signed by Walz requires that schools make tampons and other menstrual hygiene products available in both male and female bathrooms. Republicans sought an amendment to limit the requirement to only female bathrooms, which failed. Abortion and IVF Minnesota has some of the most pro-abortion laws in the country: Elective abortions are legal through the entirety of pregnancy, until the moment of birth. Abortionists can also perform an abortion on a minor of any age and at any stage of pregnancy without notifying the child’s parents. In January 2023, Walz signed the Protect Reproductive Actions Act, which ensures those standards remain in place. The bill states that every person has a right to “obtain an abortion” and prohibits local governments from imposing limits on that right. In May of 2023, Walz signed legislation that scaled back the legal protections for infants born after a failed abortion attempt. The law removed language that had previously required doctors to “preserve the life and health of the born alive infant.” The new standard only requires doctors to “care for the infant who is born alive,” but does not expressly require them to take life-saving measures. Walz signed another bill in April 2023 that prohibits the extradition of someone who is accused of performing an illegal abortion in another state. The law also states that Minnesota won’t recognize civil or criminal subpoenas from other states related to investigations into illegal abortions. In March, Walz joined Harris during her visit to a Planned Parenthood abortion clinic in Minnesota. Harris’ visit was the first time a sitting vice president visited an abortion clinic. Walz has also been a strong supporter of in vitro fertilization (IVF), which the Catholic Church opposes because it separates the marriage act from procreation and destroys embryonic human life. In his first rally as the Democratic candidate for vice president, Walz spoke about his and his wife’s struggle with infertility and his support for IVF. Religious Freedom As governor of Minnesota, Walz backed several policies that drew the ire of religious freedom advocates. However, in some of those cases, the governor ultimately made changes to those policies after religious groups took legal action. When Walz began to scale back some COVID-19 restrictions in May 2020, he issued an executive order that reopened some elements of the economy but maintained harsh restrictions on religious services. Under the order, retail stores could open at 50% capacity, but churches were limited to only 10 people. Catholic bishops and The Lutheran Church-Missouri Synod sent letters to Walz, informing him they would reopen for religious services despite the restrictions. Both groups argued that the unequal treatment violated the First Amendment. Less than a week later, Walz reached an agreement with the churches and issued a new executive order that permitted them to open at 25% capacity. In May 2023, Walz again faced legal action from religious groups — this time from Christian schools. The schools challenged a law he signed that would have prevented any school that requires students to submit a statement of faith from participating in a program that allows high school students to earn college credits. A month later, the state agreed it would not enforce the law while the litigation is ongoing but has continued to defend the law in court. Walz also signed a bill in 2023 that amended the Minnesota Human Rights Act to include a ban on discriminating against a person’s “gender identity.” The Minnesota Catholic Conference and other religious groups were critical of the law because it did not contain exemptions for religious institutions. About a year later, Walz signed another amended version, which added religious exemptions to the law. As governor, Walz has also consistently opposed school choice policies such as education savings accounts. A law establishing education savings accounts would allow parents to use public funds to support private education costs, such as home schooling or sending their child to a private or Catholic school. In an interview in August of last year, Walz criticized those proposals, saying: “[What] we end up doing is subsidizing folks who are already attending private religious schools … or home schooling.” Article 27
Are You Sure You Want to Go Down This Road? Who the Hell Can You Vote For? Part 2: Examining Kamala Harris As we approach the U.S. presidential election in November, abortion is a critical, if not the most important, issue for many voters―especially women, according to polls. One in eight voters say abortion is the “most important issue” to their vote, while more than half say that it is “very important issue but not the most important.” The U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops say abortion is the main issue Catholics should consider. Abortion is an issue that could drive voters’ decisions in the November election―which is the first presidential contest held since the Supreme Court overturned Roe v. Wade two years ago (in June of 2022) and paved the way for 22 states to restrict access to the procedure.
Democrats are hoping the issue of abortion access will galvanize voters to elect Harris. An August 2024 CBS News poll found that 60% of voters believe abortion should be legal in all or most cases, and, among women likely voters who want abortion to be legal, 76% support Harris. Harris in the Abortion Field Kamala Harris has a long record of supporting abortion rights in California. She built a reputation in California as a prosecutor who backed abortion rights. As a local prosecutor specializing in sex crimes against women and children, Harris stood out for her condemnation of total and near total abortion bans that make no exceptions for rape or incest. When she was appointed Attorney General for California, Harris threw her weight behind multiple abortion issues with national consequences. As attorney general in California, she fought to tighten the regulation of anti-abortion centers, the facilities that seek to discourage people from getting abortions. As California’s Attorney General, Harris co-sponsored to pass as law the Reproductive FACT Act, which Governor Jerry Brown signed into law in 2015. The law required medically licensed pro-life pregnancy centers to display signs advertising low-cost or free abortions available in California. Among other requirements, it mandated that crisis pregnancy centers inform patients that they are not licensed medical facilities and that abortion services are available elsewhere. The legislation required crisis pregnancy centers to post a notification stating that comprehensive family planning services, including contraception and abortion, were available through state public programs. Crisis pregnancy centers are non-profit organizations, often religiously affiliated organizations, that counsel pregnant women against abortion. Abortion rights advocates also accuse them of misleading women about the dangers of abortion and contraception. Anti-abortion groups sued to block the law― the Reproductive FACT Act―once it went into effect. The law was very clear that it was targeting pro-life viewpoints. In a 2018 decision, the U.S. Supreme Court agreed with this view and struck down the law on First Amendment grounds. After entering the political field, Harris has consistently supported abortion rights throughout her political career, and has been seen as the stronger reproductive rights advocate compared to Biden. As a U.S. senator, Harris opposed anti-abortion bills that would have conferred personhood rights on fetuses. None of them ultimately passed. As a Senator, she co-sponsored legislation that would ban states from imposing restrictions on abortion rights, and voted against a bill that would ban abortions after 20 weeks of pregnancy. “The idea that states would be passing laws that would take from an individual their right to self determination after they have endured such an atrocious act of violence is unconscionable,” Harris said during a reproductive rights forum with California lawmakers in 2022. The White House government website stated in December of 2023: “Kamala Harris will embark on a nationwide reproductive freedoms tour to continue fighting back against extreme attacks throughout America. She will hit the road to states across the country in early 2024 as she holds a series of events that bring together thousands of people to fight for the freedom of every American to make decisions about their own body. The Vice President’s ‘Fight for Reproductive Freedoms’ tour will kick off with an event in Wisconsin on January 22nd, the 51st anniversary of Roe v. Wade. During the Vice President’s reproductive freedoms tour, she will host events that highlight the harm caused by these abortion bans while sharing stories of those who have been impacted. Vice President Harris will also hold extremists accountable for proposing a national abortion ban, call on Congress to restore the protections of Roe, and outline steps the Administration is taking to protect access to health care. Additionally, she will urge attendees to use their voices and stay engaged in the fight for fundamental freedoms.” Vice President Harris was quoted on the White House website as saying: “Extremists across our country continue to wage a full-on attack against hard-won, hard-fought freedoms as they push their radical policies – from banning abortion in all 50 states and criminalizing doctors, to forcing women to travel out of state in order to get the care they need. I will continue to fight for our fundamental freedoms while bringing together those throughout America who agree that every woman should have the right to make decisions about her own body ― not the government.” Since the Supreme Court’s Dobbs decision, the Vice President has held more than 50 convenings in at least 16 states while bringing together hundreds of state legislators, state attorneys general, health care providers, faith leaders, students, and advocates who are on the frontlines of the fight for reproductive rights. As Vice President, she condemned the Supreme Court’s 2022 decision to overturn Roe v. Wade—and became the White House’s leading voice on reproductive health rights. As Vice President, she toured the country speaking about the impact of overturning Roe v. Wade. In February of 2024, she told a crowd in Savannah, Georgia: “One does not have to abandon their faith or deeply held beliefs to agree the government should not be telling her what to do with her body!” In July 2024, shortly before being nominated to run for the presidency, Harris visited a Planned Parenthood Clinic in Minnesota, believed to be the first time a sitting U.S. Vice President visited an abortion provider. Speaking to the media, Harris said: “Right now, in our country, there is a very serious health crisis―and the crisis is affecting many, many people in our country, most of whom are, quite frankly, silently suffering. After the United States Supreme Court took a constitutional right that had been recognized from the people of America, form the women of America … So I’m here, at this health care clinic, to uplift the work that is happening in Minnesota as an example of what true leadership looks like―which is understand that it is only right and fair that people have access to the health care that they need, and that they have access to health care in an environment where they are treated with dignity and respect … In this environment, these attacks against an individual’s right to make decisions about their own body are outrageous and, in many instances, plain old immoral. How dare these elected leaders believe that they are in a better position to tell women what they need; to tell women what is their best interests. We have to be a nation that trusts women!” In August of 2024, during her keynote address at the Democratic National Convention in Chicago, when accepting the Democratic Party’s presidential nominee, Harris pledged to sign into law legislation that restores the federal right to abortion—if such a bill is passed by Congress. “Ours is a fight for the future and it is a fight for freedom, like the freedom of a woman to make decisions about her own body and not have her government tell her what to do,” she said during a campaign event in Savannah. Harris’ campaign website pledges that if elected president, “she will never allow a national abortion ban to become law. And when Congress passes a bill to restore reproductive freedom nationwide, she will sign it.” Since Vice President Kamala Harris became the Democratic presidential nominee in August 2024, she has been vocal about her support for abortion rights. Harris has made abortion rights a focal point of her campaign. Specifically, she supports Congress passing a federal law that would protect abortion rights in the wake of the Supreme Court in 2022 overturning the landmark Roe v. Wade ruling, which recognized a constitutional right to abortion. On the campaign trail, Harris has said she would fight to protect abortion rights, a stance that would require working with Congress to codify federal protections such as those that existed under Roe v. Wade. Roe allowed for restrictions on abortion after fetal viability, which typically occurs between 23 and 25 weeks. Thus far, Democrats have not had enough votes in Congress to pass such protections under Biden. Harris in the Contraceptive & Fertility Field Harris has also said she would defend the right to contraception and fertility services like in vitro fertilization, which have both emerged as new targets for some sectors of the anti-abortion movement. Her campaign hasn’t clarified how she would do that. As Attorney General for California, Harris filed a brief with the U.S. Supreme Court asking it to refuse Hobby Lobby’s request to deny women health care coverage for contraception because of the craft-store chain owner’s religious beliefs. She asked the Supreme Court in 2013 to force Hobby Lobby and other religious employers to cover things like abortion pills in their health-care plans. In her 2014 brief―supported by Attorney Generals in 15 states and the city of Washington, D.C.―Harris wrote that if Hobby Lobby were allowed to withhold birth control coverage on religious grounds, it might lead other corporations to demand similar exemptions from the nation’s civil rights laws. In the landmark decision, the Supreme Court ruled that family-owned corporations can’t be forced to pay for insurance coverage for contraception under the Affordable Care Act, if it offends their religious beliefs. Harris in the Religious Field Kamala Harris’ mother was Hindu, and her father was a Protestant Baptist Christian. Today she is married to a Jew. She grew up attending services at a Black Baptist church and a Hindu temple, USA Today reported. Kamala Harris said, in an interview with Interfaith Youth Core, that her “faith journey” started when she was young. “On Sundays, my mother would dress my sister, Maya, and me in our Sunday best and send us off to the 23rd Avenue Church of God in Oakland, California, where Maya and I sang in the children’s choir … That’s where I formed some of my earliest memories of the Bible’s teachings. It’s where I learned that ‘faith’ is a verb and that we must live it, and show it, in action.” In August 2019, Harris used parallels between what she hoped to achieve in politics and her faith. “Jesus tells us how we should define neighbor,” she said during a speech. “Jesus tells us, your neighbor is not just the person who lives next door, who drives the kind of car you drive, the person shares your zip code. Jesus tells us your neighbor is that man by the side of the road who you walk by, who has faced hardship.” One has to ask Harris if the baby in mother’s womb is also her neighbor. Even though Kamala Harris professes to be a Christian and sometimes quotes the Bible (for her benefit and agenda), her hypocrisy shines through in the chasm that exists between what she says and what she does. In a church gathering, she stated: “When we think about Justice, let’s also remember all the prophets spoke about Justice. They spoke about it in Proverbs, 3:19: ‘Speak up for the poor and the helpless and see that they get Justice!’ ― and when Congress passes a law to restore reproductive freedoms, as President of the United States, I will sign into law!” Talking about rights―one has the right to ask Kamala Harris: “What about the rights of the poor and helpless babies in the womb, who are not getting justice, but injustice, by being murdered?” Murder is not something that is part of Christ’s teaching―even in the Protestant religion. Kamala Harris has repeatedly advanced an anti-faith agenda. As a U.S. senator of California from 2017-2021, Harris introduced and was the lead sponsor of the Do No Harm Act, which would have ended religious exemptions for certain government mandates, such as rules requiring insurance coverage of specific medical procedures. As a legal expert at First Liberty wrote at the time, “This country was founded on religious liberty. The Do No Harm Act strikes at the heart of that freedom.” Additionally, the Do No Harm Act would have undermined the bipartisan Religious Freedom Restoration Act, a 1993 landmark law that protects the rights of people of faith to worship freely and in accordance with their conscience. Kamala Harris was an original co-sponsor of the Equality Act—a bill that would require religious institutions of all stripes, including churches themselves, to violate their core beliefs in the name of “gender ideology.” That measure would have stripped faith-based institutions like schools, charities and adoption agencies of their religious rights, by enabling the government to prosecute faith-based institutions for discrimination for refusing to hire people who openly opposed their religious teachings. The U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops was clear in denouncing the proposed legislation. In short, Kamala Harris doesn’t think that Catholics, or any person whose religion conflicts with her political ideology, should hold public office. Instead, Harris is well-steeped in the Left’s newfound understanding of religion, which is that it should stay within the four walls of a home or a house of worship and must be disavowed in order to participate in society. Harris apparently thinks that the use of the law to discriminate against someone because of religion, is perfectly acceptable. In 2018, Kamala Harris subtly criticized the charitable and fraternal organization of the Knights of Columbus for being an “all-male society comprised primarily of Catholic men,” then not-so-subtly slammed it for adhering to its Faith’s core—or “extremist,” to use her word—beliefs about life and family. Senator Harris questioned three judicial nominees on their affiliation with the Knights of Columbus, suggesting that involvement with the Catholic fraternal organization disqualifies a nominee for potential bias. At the time, Kamala Harris posed a series of queries in a written questionnaire, including: “Were you aware that the Knights of Columbus opposed a woman’s right to choose when you joined the organization?” “Were you aware that the Knights of Columbus opposed marriage equality when you joined the organization?” and “Have you ever, in any way, assisted with or contributed to advocacy against women’s reproductive rights?” During Brian Buescher’s nomination hearing for a federal judgeship, Kamala Harris implied that Buescher’s membership with the Knights of Columbus basically made him unfit for the bench, setting up Senator Mazie Hirono of Hawaii to ask if the nominee, Buescher, if confirmed as a federal judge, would “end [his] membership with this organization to avoid any appearance of bias.” That’s what they call a religious test for office, and it is illegal―because Article VI, Section 3 of the Constitution reads: “No religious Test shall ever be required as a Qualification to any Office or public Trust under the United States.” An Assessment of Kamala Harris by Congresswoman Tulsi Gabbard Below is an assessment of Kamala by fellow Democrat Tulsi Gabbard (born April 12th, 1981), who is an American politician, United States Army Reserve officer, and conservative political commentator, who was elected four times and served as a U.S. Representative for Hawaii from 2013 to 2021 in the House of Representatives―thus, she was a colleague in Congress of fellow Democrat Kamala Harris (who entered politics in 2017). A then-member of the Democratic Party, Tulsi Gabbard was a candidate for its nomination in the 2020 United States presidential election. She left the Democrat party in October 2022 to become an independent politician. In an interview in early 2942, being asked the question: “What do you think of Kamala?” Tulsi Gabbard replied: “I think the same thing that I thought of her back then ― and this is this was what I warned people against in 2019 ― is that she is incapable and unfit to be President and Commander-in-Chief. She would be very dangerous in that position. Not only because she will be easily manipulated and controlled by those unelected powers that be, that we talked about, but also, as we discussed, would immediately feel like she needs to exert and show strength―and that that would come at an incredibly high cost to our men and women, my brothers and sisters, in uniform, to our country and quite frankly to the world―especially given the situation that we are facing today, where, as you know, we are on the brink of war with Russia and China, Iran, North Korea―just to name a few. We are closer to the brink of nuclear war now than ever before certainly in our lifetimes. So, in any one of these examples, it takes one spark for any one of these situations to quite literally blow up! “She has demonstrated, through her time as Vice President, through her time as US Senator, through her time as the Attorney General of California, as District Attorney of San Francisco and every opportunity and every position that she held―where she had the opportunity to put the interests of the people she was supposed to be serving first. But she put her own political interests first and clearly does not believe in the Constitution and fundamental Freedom. She is not alone in this―obviously―but she is now the Democratic nominee for President, and we, as voters, should not allow the political-like-food-fight, that is going to go on, to get in the way of actually knowing the facts of her record and her failed record and how dangerous she would be in that position. Is she smart? I would not say so. I don’t know if smart is the right word. Intelligent? No! She is a very calculating person―and so perhaps smart in her calculations that have gotten her to this point.” This section is still being written. Paragraphs will be added as they are completed. Please check back later. Article 26
Are You Sure You Want to Go Down This Road? Who the Hell Can You Vote For? Part 1: Examining Donald Trump Damned If We Do! Damned If We Don’t!
Many―perhaps most―people have a feeling of futility, hopelessness and helplessness when it comes presidential elections, or any other political elections for that matter. They feel like they are voting for “evil” regardless of who they vote for, or which party they ‘support’―much like someone wishing to marry, but realizes that each suitor is evil in one way or another. One potential spouse might be murderer, another is a thief, another is a wife-beater, another a child-abuser, another is a rapist, another is an alcoholic, another a drug-addict, a pornographer, an adulterer, a homosexual or lesbian, etc., etc. What a morbid choice―you end up with evil whichever you choose! According to a theory from Emory University political science professors Alan Abramowitz and Steven Webster, in the general election, the vast majority of the American public is going to vote they way they are going to vote―no matter what. And increasingly, the way Americans vote is against a party, not for one. “A growing number of Americans have been voting against the opposing party rather than for their own party,” they wrote. It is increasingly becoming more of a focus on hate rather than love―people increasingly motivated to vote AGAINST a nominee they HATE, rather than being motivated to vote FOR a nominee they LIKE. Abramowitz and Webster analyzed data since the 1980s from the American National Election Studies, found that voters have become incredibly loyal to parties, yet they publicly identify less and less with a party. The amount of voters identifying as independent, but leaning one way or the other, has surged to a record level, they note. They are saying, in effect, that is the HATRED of a particular candidate that drives them to go out and vote. Those who hate neither candidate are more likely not to vote, than those who hate one of the candidates. People vote along party lines because they are voting AGAINST a party, rather than FOR something they believe in. You could argue that―in a similar way―people who hate God and hate God’s laws, are likely to produce proportionately more activists from their numbers, than those who love God but tend to be more passive. The salvation of our soul is of the utmost importance―as Our Lord says: “For what doth it profit a man, if he gains the whole world, and suffers the loss of his own soul? Or what exchange shall a man give for his soul?” (Matthew 16:26). To save your soul and reach Heaven safely, you need good guides. Those good guides do not only have be guides within the Church, but we also need good guides on the level of the State―for the Church and State should be like two horses harnessed to our soul that should be pulling it in the right and same direction. So what are our current “guides” in the State like? More precisely, what are the guides like who are running for the presidency? In this first of three parts we will look at DONALD TRUMP; the second part will examine KAMALA HARRIS; the third part will look at JD VANCE (Trump’s running mate) and also TIM WALZ (Kamala Harris’ running mate). Thus we shall spread the content over three days. ► DONALD TRUMP (Republican Party presidential candidate) was born on June 14th, 1946 (currently aged 78), and has five children from three marriages: Don Jr., Ivanka, and Eric Trump from his marriage with Ivana Trump (married 1977–1992), Ivana had already married once before; Tiffany Trump from his marriage with Marla Maples (married 1993–1999); and Barron Trump from his marriage with First Lady Melania Trump (Knauss), a baptized Catholic girl (married in 2005 in an Anglican service in Palm Beach, Florida). Is he actually married? Which marriages―if any―were valid? A Catholic (Melania) marrying Trump in an Anglican service? It is a real melting pot. Only God knows the answers to that mess! President Donald Trump has often used religious language while in office, and he has surrounded himself with evangelical leaders and supported conservative Christian causes. But Trump’s personal religious beliefs and practices have not been as public. Multiple surveys have shown that, despite his self-presentation, most Americans continue to believe that Trump is not personally religious. Taking the views of both Republicans and Democrats, just 4% of U.S. adults say that Trump is very religious; and around 25% think he is somewhat religious, according to Pew Research Center. Only 6% of Republicans and GOP leaners say Trump is very religious, while 44% say he is “somewhat” religious. Nearly half (48%) say he is “not too” or “not at all” religious. Half of U.S. adults either say they’re not sure what Trump’s religion is (34%) or that he has no religion (16%), while just 33% say he’s Protestant. Of all modern American presidents, he is the only spiritual nomad—a man seemingly without religious roots. Before him, Barack Obama attended Methodist services. George W. Bush was also a practicing Methodist. Bill Clinton was a Baptist, George H.W. Bush was an Episcopalian, and Ronald Reagan was a Presbyterian. The connections between these past presidents and their faiths were well-defined. But despite President Trump’s claims to mainline Protestantism, investigations by CNN have found that while he did attend church in his youth, there is no evidence that he, as an adult, is attached to any Christian tradition at all. “Though I was confirmed at a Presbyterian church as a child, I now consider myself to be a non-denominational Christian,” Trump said in an October 2020 statement to Religion News Service. President Trump identifies himself as Presbyterian, but Trump does not regularly attend a Presbyterian church, he doesn’t seem to have held an official membership in any church since he was 28 years old and he has associated with a range of religious groups. He does not belong to a church in Washington, though he refers to himself as a Presbyterian. He only occasionally attends a service, including multiple visits to St. John’s Episcopal across from the White House, which past presidents historically have attended, and Christmas and Easter worship at the Florida Episcopal church where he was married to Melania Trump, or at Washington National Cathedral, another Episcopal church. His spiritual adviser, televangelist Paula White, used to lead a Pentecostal-leaning church. He has prayed in public with Southern Baptist leaders. In 2015, after Trump said that he attends Marble Collegiate Church, but the church publicly stated he “is not an active member” of the church. At Christmas in 2019, Trump attended services at a conservative Baptist-affiliated church. He also attends an Episcopal church. Looks like he is courting a wide variety of potential voters rather than courting God! At a conference in Des Moines, Iowa, during the Question & Answer portion, he said “People are so shocked when they find ... out I am Protestant. I am Presbyterian. And I go to church and I love God and I love my church.” But when asked by Frank Luntz, moderator of the forum, if he had ever asked God for forgiveness for his actions, Trump replied: “I am not sure I have. I just go on and try to do a better job from there. I don’t think so … I think if I do something wrong, I think, I just try and make it right. I don’t bring God into that picture. I don’t.” The president says the Bible is his favorite book―but has declined to name a verse that is particularly meaningful to him. And he has said multiple times that he does not like to ask God for forgiveness, which is traditionally seen as a core part of the Christian faith. Once they have converted, Christians tend to take up certain spiritual disciplines, such as prayer, church attendance, tithing and reading the Bible. In interviews with several religious leaders and observers, there is no indication that Mr. Trump engages in any of those practices regularly. A man’s religion dictates his worldview, and his worldview dictates how he perceives reality. This, in turn, dictates his actions. And Trump’s words and actions seem to be those of a nominal, superficial, Evangelical Christian who embraces “prosperity theology”. To put it simply, winning is equated with good, and losers are equated with bad. This is strikingly similar to the attitude of some Evangelicals, wherein those who experience grave misfortune must have sinned or suffered from a lack of faith to deserve that misfortune. In Trump’s worldview, success is everything. Trump announced during Pride Month in 2019 that his administration was launching a global campaign to end the criminalization of homosexuality. His leadership on this issue couldn’t be more necessary — even in 2020, 72 countries still identify same-sexual orientation as criminal, including eight countries where it is punishable by death. This campaign was spearheaded by former U.S. Ambassador to Germany Richard Grenell, an openly gay member of the administration who subsequently served as acting director of U.S. national intelligence, becoming the first openly gay Cabinet member in U.S. history. Abortion has become a major political issue―and rightly so―for abortion is murder. It is a clear and manifest rejection and transgression of God’s Law, with the 5th Commandment clearly stating: “Thou shalt not kill!” Arguably, outside matters of Faith, abortion could be said to be the major ‘virus’ of the modern-age and modern-day governments. Legalization of abortion is the legalization of murder―and, worse still, the murder of the defenceless. With regard to abortion, Trump’s views on abortion have changed significantly. Trump has flip-flopped on the issue. He has taken credit for helping overturn Roe v Wade, upending the constitutional right to abortion. At other times, he has criticized Republican abortion bans as too strict. In 1999, Trump described himself as “very pro-choice” (pro-abortion) and said “I believe in choice.” Although he said he hated the “concept of abortion,” he said he would not ban it, nor the specific procedure sometimes called “partial-birth abortion.” That year, 1999, he gave interviews describing himself as “totally pro-choice” and claiming that abortion should be “removed from politics. I believe it is a personal decision that should be left to the women and their doctors.” In February, 2011, in a speech before the Conservative Political Action Conference while considering a 2012 run for the White House, Trump laid out his positions, including a new posture on abortion. Trump stated: “I am pro-life!” In August, 2015, Trump was divided over defunding Planned Parenthood. Trump said he supported a government shutdown over federal funding for Planned Parenthood. In an interview with CNN, Trump said: “I would look at the good aspects of it, and I would also look because I’m sure they do some things properly and good, good for women, and I would look at that.” In his 2016 presidential campaign, by contrast, he described himself as pro-life―more specifically as “pro-life with exceptions”―suggesting that women who have abortions should face some sort of punishment (a view he quickly retracted); and pledged to appoint pro-life justices to the Supreme Court. While campaigning for the presidency in 2016 Trump said, “I’m pro-life and I’ve been pro-life a long time” and acknowledged that he had “evolved” on the issue. CNN reported that Trump “dodged questions testing the specificity of those views.” In March 2016, Trump said Planned Parenthood should not be funded “as long as you have the abortion going on”, but he acknowledged that “Planned Parenthood has done very good work for many, many—for millions of women.” Planned Parenthood said the “Trump presidency would be a disaster for women.” In an interview later that month, Trump acknowledged that there must be “some form” of punishment for women if abortion were made illegal in the U.S. He issued a statement later that day reversing his position from earlier by saying, “the doctor or any other person performing this illegal act upon a woman would be held legally responsible, not the woman.” Trump has said that abortion should be legal in cases involving “rape, incest or the life of the mother being at risk.” In May 2016, when asked if he would appoint Supreme Court justices who would overturn Roe v. Wade, Trump said: “Well, they’ll be pro-life. And we’ll see about overturning, but I will appoint judges that will be pro-life.” In the same interview he said of the pro-life cause, “I will protect it, and the biggest way you can protect is through the Supreme Court.” In his first interview following his designation as president-elect, Trump affirmed his pledge to appoint pro-life Supreme Court justices. He said that if Roe v. Wade were overturned, the issue would be returned to the states, and that if some states outlawed abortion, a woman would “have to go to another state” to get one. In October, 2016, Trump said he would appoint the number of justices necessary to the Supreme Court to overturn Roe. v. Wade. Consequently, Trump appointed three conservative justices to the Supreme Court: Neil Gorsuch in 2017; Brett Kavanaugh in 2018; and Amy Coney Barrett in 2020. In October, 2017, the U.S. House of Representatives passed a 20-week abortion ban with Trump’s support. The House passed legislation to ban abortions in most cases. At the time, Trump's White House said it “strongly supports” the bill “and applauds the House of Representatives for continuing its efforts to secure critical pro-life protections.” In January 2018, Trump spoke at the March for Life in Washington, D.C., becoming the first president to directly address the annual anti-abortion rally, though it was through satellite. From January to May 2018, Trump advocated for a 20-week national abortion ban. Trump called on the Senate to approve the House's 20-week ban bill and vowed to sign it if it landed on his desk―it never did. In May 2018, he signed an executive order entitled, “Establishment of a White House Faith and Opportunity Initiative” that aims to prevent funding for abortion. On several occasions Trump has asserted that Democrats advocate “executing” newborn babies. In February 2019 he tweeted, “The Democrat position on abortion is now so extreme that they don’t mind executing babies AFTER birth.” The assertion became a staple at his rallies, including in April 2019 when he said, “The baby is born. The mother meets with the doctor. They take care of the baby. They wrap the baby beautifully. And then the doctor and the mother determine whether or not they will execute the baby.” In June, 2022, the Supreme Court of the United States overturned the pro-abortion Roe v. Wade ruling, with the three justices Trump appointed voting to void it. President Joe Biden said: “It was three justices named by one president — Donald Trump — who were the core of today’s decision to upend the scales of justice and eliminate a fundamental right for women in this country!” At the time, former president Trump told Fox News that “God made the decision” when he was asked how he felt about playing a role in appointing the three conservative justices who made up the majority in the landmark reversal. “I think, in the end, this is something that will work out for everybody,” Trump said. He added: “This brings everything back to the states, where it has always belonged.” The sexual misdemeanors of Trump have been well documented. Over the years well over 20 women have accused Trump of various levels of sexual assault―from rape to sexual molestation and groping, to entering rooms when they were naked. These seem to be tip of the iceberg and Trump has given various interviews over the years where he has publically boasted of his sexual misdeeds. This section is still being written. Paragraphs will be added as they are completed. Please check back later. Article 25
The Solution That Every Catholic Should Want! The Solution That No Catholics See! “The higher you aim―the higher you reach!” Aim high and you might reach it. Aim low and you might shoot yourself in the foot! Some people aim at nothing in life and manage to hit that target every time! Or, to put it Scripturally, “For what things a man shall sow, those also shall he reap. For he that sows in his flesh, of the flesh also shall reap corruption. But he that sows in the spirit, of the spirit shall reap life everlasting” (Galatians 6:8). What and how you sow dictates on how and where things will go! “Sow for yourselves in justice” (Osee 10:12) … “Sow not evils in the furrows of injustice, and thou shalt not reap them sevenfold” (Ecclesiasticus 7:3). “He that sows iniquity shall reap evils” (Proverbs 22:8). “He who sows sparingly, shall also reap sparingly” (2 Corinthians 9:6). A harvest is not obtained without much effort and pain, but “They that sow in tears shall reap in joy!” (Psalm 125:5).
Gross Hearts! Deaf Ears! Blind Eyes! Stony Souls! God tries to sow His word in our souls―but the soil of our soul is so hard that failure results. We are deaf to the word of God―which bounces off the hardened soil of our soul. We are blind to God’s teachings―for the things of the world are blocking our view. We are in a mess because we fail to see and take the solutions that God offers. The parable of the Sower of the Seed exemplifies our problem. “And He spoke to them many things in parables, saying: ‘Behold the sower went forth to sow. And whilst he sowed some fell by the way side, and the birds of the air came and ate them up. And other some fell upon stony ground, where they had not much earth: and they sprung up immediately, because they had no deepness of earth. And when the sun was up they were scorched: and because they had not root, they withered away. And others fell among thorns: and the thorns grew up and choked them. And others fell upon good ground: and they brought forth fruit, some a hundredfold, some sixtyfold, and some thirtyfold. He that hath ears to hear, let him hear!’ “And His disciples came and said to Him: ‘Why speakest Thou to them in parables?’ Who answered and said to them: ‘Because to you it is given to know the mysteries of the Kingdom of Heaven―but to them it is not given. For he that hath, to him shall be given, and he shall abound―but he that hath not, from him shall be taken away that also which he hath. Therefore do I speak to them in parables―because seeing they see not, and hearing they hear not, neither do they understand. And the prophecy of Isaias is fulfilled in them, who saith: “By hearing you shall hear, and shall not understand: and seeing you shall see, and shall not perceive. For the heart of this people is grown gross, and with their ears they have been dull of hearing, and their eyes they have shut―lest at any time they should see with their eyes, and hear with their ears, and understand with their heart, and be converted, and I should heal them!” [Jesus is quoting Isaias 6:9-10]. But blessed are your eyes, because they see, and your ears, because they hear. For, amen, I say to you, many prophets and just men have desired to see the things that you see, and have not seen them, and to hear the things that you hear and have not heard them. “Hear you, therefore, the parable of the sower. When anyone hears the word of the Kingdom, and understands it not, there comes the wicked one, Satan, and takes away that which was sown in his heart―this is he that received the seed by the way side. And he that received the seed upon stony ground, is he that hears the word, and immediately receives it with joy. Yet he has no root in himself, but is only for a time: and when there arises tribulation and persecution because of the word, he is presently scandalized. And he that received the seed among thorns, is he that hears the word, and the cares of this world and the deceitfulness of riches chokes up the word, and he becomes fruitless. But he that received the seed upon good ground, is he that hears the word, and understands, and bears fruit, and yields the one an hundredfold, and another sixtyfold, and another thirtyfold!’” (Matthew 13:3-23). Field Full of Cockle―God’s Seed Cannot Grow! The Word of God has not really penetrated our lives in any great depth―otherwise we would not be in the terrible crises that we see in both the Church and the world today. The prince of this world―the devil―has managed to sow his worldly cockle alongside the seed of God’s Word―and that cockle is strangling the life out of God’s Word. “Another parable He proposed to them, saying: ‘The Kingdom of Heaven is likened to a man that sowed good seeds in his field. But while men were asleep, his enemy came and over-sowed cockle among the wheat and went his way. And when the blade was sprung up, and had brought forth fruit, then appeared also the cockle. And the servants of the good-man of the house coming said to him: “Sir! Didst thou not sow good seed in thy field? Whence then has it cockle?” And he said to them: “An enemy hath done this!” And the servants said to him: “Do you want us to go and gather it up?” And he said: “No! Lest perhaps gathering up the cockle, you also root up the wheat together with it! Suffer both to grow until the harvest, and in the time of the harvest I will say to the reapers: ‘Gather up first the cockle, and bind it into bundles to burn, but the wheat gather ye into my barn!’” (Matthew 13:24-30). There are some medications and cures that must be “taken on an empty stomach”―so that food does not hinder or “get in the way” of the healing work of the medicine. Likewise, the remedies of God need to be “taken on an empty stomach” so that God’s word and work can freely operate in our soul and the world. This is why, when the young rich man asked Our Lord what he should do to get to Heaven, Our Lord replied that he should give away all his riches and possessions, give his wealth to the poor, and then, having left everything, to come and follow Him (Christ)―adding that it is almost impossible for a rich person to enter the Kingdom of Heaven: “And behold, a certain rich young man, running up and kneeling before Him, asked Him: ‘Good Master, what shall I do that I may receive life everlasting?’ And Jesus said to him: ‘If thou wilt enter into life, keep the commandments!’ The young man said to Him: ‘All these I have kept from my youth! What is yet wanting to me?’ And Jesus looking on him, loved him, and said to him: ‘One thing is wanting unto thee! If thou wilt be perfect, go sell whatsoever thou hast, and give to the poor, and thou shalt have treasure in Heaven, and come follow Me!’ “And when the young man had heard this word, being struck sad at that saying, went away sorrowful: for he was very rich and had great possessions. And Jesus, seeing him become sorrowful, looking round about, said to His disciples: ‘How hardly shall they that have riches, enter into the Kingdom of God! Amen, I say to you, that a rich man shall hardly enter into the Kingdom of Heaven. And again I say to you: It is easier for a camel to pass through the eye of a needle, than for a rich man to enter into the Kingdom of Heaven!’ “And the disciples were astonished at His words. But Jesus again answering, said to them: ‘Children, how hard is it for them that trust in riches, to enter into the kingdom of God! It is easier for a camel to pass through the eye of a needle, than for a rich man to enter into the kingdom of God!’ Who wondered the more, saying among themselves: ‘Who then can be saved?’ And Jesus looking on them, said: ‘With men it is impossible; but not with God! For all things are possible with God!’” “Then Peter answering, began to say unto Him: ‘Behold we have left all things, and have followed Thee! What therefore shall we have?’ And Jesus answering, said to them: ‘Amen, I say to you, that you, who have followed me, in the regeneration, when the Son of man shall sit on the seat of His majesty, you also shall sit on twelve seats judging the twelve tribes of Israel! And every one that hath left house, or brethren, or sisters, or father, or mother, or wife, or children, or lands for My Name’s sake, shall receive a hundredfold, and, in the world to come, shall possess life everlasting!’” (combined account of Matthew 19:16-29; Mark 10:17-31; Luke 18:18-25). Politicians Preach Prosperity, Possessions, Profit and Plenteousness The politics of today is overwhelmingly antithetical or the opposite of the politics of Christ. Politicians make their politics promise people all kinds of riches and wealth―yet Christ says: “How hardly shall they that have riches, enter into the Kingdom of God! Amen, I say to you, that a rich man shall hardly enter into the Kingdom of Heaven. And again I say to you: It is easier for a camel to pass through the eye of a needle, than for a rich man to enter into the Kingdom of Heaven!’ And the disciples were astonished at His words. But Jesus again answering, said to them: ‘Children, how hard is it for them that trust in riches, to enter into the kingdom of God! It is easier for a camel to pass through the eye of a needle, than for a rich man to enter into the kingdom of God!’” Who would you vote? Your “riches promising” politician or your “riches condemning” Savior? Tough call, huh? There is no doubt as to who you would vote for “in theory”―but who would you vote for “in practice” by practicing what you vote for? What politics is increasingly becoming is a funding of lifestyles and laws that are fundamentally opposed to those of God. It is also becoming increasingly invasive and controlling of religion and how religion is allowed to operate. Our Lady’s prediction has been and is being strikingly fulfilled: “From the end of the 19th century and especially in the 20th century, the passions will erupt and there will be a total corruption of morals, for Satan will reign almost completely by means of the Masonic sects ... During this epoch the Church will find herself attacked by terrible assaults from the Masonic sect … These years, during which the evil sect of Masonry will take control of the civil government, will see a cruel persecution of all religious communities … All the civil governments will have one and the same plan, which will be to abolish and do away with every religious principle, to make way for materialism, atheism, spiritualism and vice of all kinds. They will abolish civil rights, as well as ecclesiastical rights. All order and all justice will be trampled underfoot and only homicides, hate, jealousy, lies and dissension will be seen, without love for country or family!” (Our Lady of Good Success and Our Lady of La Salette). New Religion of Politics There is no longer a separation of Church and State―which is wrong in itself―but now it is becoming increasingly worse, with there being an invasion of the Church by the State, or a replacing of religion by politics. Politics is becoming a ‘religion’ all of its own and it will not tolerate other false ‘religions’ ― especially the Catholic religion, which is the only true religion. In the devil’s typical fashion―which is to “ape” God and reverse true values―the world or State (of which the devil is prince) firstly divorced the Church and wrecked the God appointed marriage of Church (the man/husband) and State (woman/wife)―where the Church was superior to the State, furnishing the State with God-given principles and truths. Now, after this divorce, the State increasingly threw out the principles and truths of God and replaced with its own man-made principles and ‘truths’ of a man-made god, namely Science. Now, the State is returning to the Church to enslave her and force the State’s man-made truths and principles upon the Church, while making her abandon her God-given principles in matters of conflict or contradiction. A total reversal of God’s intended marriage plan for Church and State, whereby the State, once being the wife, now takes on the role of husband and leader, forcing the Church, once being the husband and leader, to take on the subservient role of wife. Talk about gender change!!! Instead of the Church warning people that most souls go to Hell―the new ‘church’, the State, was warning people that most persons would catch the deadly, dreaded, “fate worse than Hell” disease of Covid-19. Instead of following through with Christ’s command of “teach ye all nations, baptizing them in the Name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost” (Matthew 28:19)―the new ‘church’, the State, taught all nations about the dangers of Covid-19, masking them and vaccinating them in the name of Bill Gates, Anthony Fauci and the unholy spirit of alliance between Politics and Big Pharma. Just as Christ’s Baptism leaves an indelible mark on the soul―the Covid-19 vaccination will soon morph and lead to being vaccinated with an indelible chip in your body. Just as Christ wanted everyone to be baptized―Bill Gates wants everyone to be ‘baptized’ with a vaccine. If you refuse this State ‘baptism’ of vaccination, then you are to be anathematized and excommunicated by quarantining or self-isolation. Refusal of this ‘baptism’ of vaccination risks being deprived of the graces of employment and financial security. Furthermore, the State wishes to be like God by knowing all about you, tracking your every move, if possible listening to all you say, reading all you write―maybe one day having the technology to even make a good guess at what you are thinking! There will, no doubt, come a time when ‘sinning’ against the State will be a ‘mortal’ sin punishable by death and―if not being sent to the real Hell―then at least making your life a Hell on Earth! Even Jesus is being harnessed by both political parties―for everyone wants Jesus on their political side so as to win the political votes of Christians. There are a lot of ‘religious’ votes at stake and so the political parties want to stake a claim to those votes. The latest Pew Research Center survey, conducted August 26th to September 2nd, 2024, finds that majorities of registered voters in three key religious groups say they would vote for Trump or lean toward doing so if the election were today: A diverging bar chart showing that most White Christians support Trump for president: 82% of White evangelical Protestants 61% of White Catholics 58% of White non-evangelical Protestants Majorities in several other religious groups back Harris. Harris currently has the backing of roughly two-thirds or more registered voters in various other religious groups: 86% of Black Protestants 85% of atheists 78% of agnostics 65% of Hispanic Catholics 65% of Jewish voters In order to win over Christian voters, politicians will offer much “lip-service” and readily mix with the chief religious “movers and shakers”. Going Forwards or Going Backwards? The Fathers and Doctors of the Church say that “He who makes no progress loses ground!” In other words, if we are not going forwards and making progress in our spiritual life, in our life of Faith―then we are automatically going backwards, because the life of Faith, the spiritual life, is like constantly swimming upstream against the downward flow of the river (the world), and if we stop for only a moment, we are quickly carried downstream and lose is a few seconds the hard work and progress that cost us many minutes of swimming upstream. Where are we headed? Where are we going? Or, perhaps more precisely, where are we being led? Where is politics leading us? Whether you see it or not, know it or not, believe it or not, admit it or not―we are being led by the nose to enslavement like a pig or a bull with a ring through its nose―except instead of a ring being buried in our noses, it is a case our noses are buried in the phone as we stare at the smartphone screen in our hands for hours on end. The ring is placed in the nose of the bull―but the smartphone knows how to place bull in our minds. A nose ring is a ring made of metal, designed to be installed through the nose of pigs as well as domestic cattle, usually bulls. Bull rings are usually about 3 to 5 inches in diameter―coincidentally, a typical smartphone measures around 3 inches by 5 inches! You Are What You Eat, Read, Hold and Handle As they say: “You are what you eat! You are what you read!” Our Lord says: “Not in bread alone doth man live, but in every word that proceedeth from the mouth of God!” (Matthew 4:4). The smartphone is not known for delivering loads of religious knowledge to your mind―it is usually known for delivering lots of worldliness to your mind. If you spend hours “devouring”, “digesting” and “eating-up” all the endless information that your smartphone can serve-up, then without doubt you are becoming more and more worldly―meaning that, at the same time, you are becoming less and less religious and spiritual. Our Lord said: “Lay not up to yourselves treasures on Earth … But lay up to yourselves treasures in Heaven … For where thy treasure is, there is thy heart also! … No man can serve two masters. For either he will hate the one, and love the other: or he will sustain the one, and despise the other. You cannot serve God and mammon! … “He that is not with Me, is against Me―and he that gathereth not with Me, scattereth!” (Matthew 6:19-24; 12:30). The smartphone―and all other forms of modern technology―do not exist to make people more religious and more spiritually minded―they exist to make people more worldly, more materialistic, more hedonistic (pleasure-seekers). Politics goes “hand-in-hand” with the smartphone in your hand―it all about worldliness, materialism, money, pleasure, comfort, etc. With you smartphone in your hand, you become like a bull or pig with its nose-ring. You follow your masters by being led through your smartphone info, just like the bull is led by the nose with the chain attached to its nose-ring. As a bonus, your smartphone also “rings” for you―and you get to choose your preferred “ring-tone”! A Deadly Battle Over Souls, Minds and Hearts We are living in the midst of a materialistic Masonic inspired battle―which is the same things as a worldly Satanic inspired battle―which Sr. Lucia of Fatima referred to as the Devil’s Final Battle with the Blessed Virgin Mary: “She {our Lady] told me that the Devil is engaging in a battle with the Virgin, a decisive battle. It is a final battle where one party will be victorious and the other will suffer defeat. So, from now on, we are either with God or we are with the Devil; there is no middle ground” (Sr. Lucia of Fatima to Fr. Fuentes, December 26th, 1957). Our Lady herself spoke of this battle thus: “From the end of the 19th century and especially in the 20th century, the passions will erupt and there will be a total corruption of morals, for Satan will reign almost completely by means of the Masonic sects ... During this epoch the Church will find herself attacked by terrible assaults from the Masonic sect … These years, during which the evil sect of Masonry will take control of the civil government, will see a cruel persecution of all religious communities … All the civil governments will have one and the same plan, which will be to abolish and do away with every religious principle, to make way for materialism, atheism, spiritualism and vice of all kinds. They will abolish civil rights, as well as ecclesiastical rights. All order and all justice will be trampled underfoot and only homicides, hate, jealousy, lies and dissension will be seen, without love for country or family ... They will focus particularly on the children, in order to achieve this general corruption. Woe to the children of these times!” (Our Lady of Good Success and Our Lady of La Salette). How will they focus on the children? Mainly through the media, through technology, through various mobile devices that will give them access to the child’s mind and heart―and from there they can control the child’s thoughts, desires, attitudes, ideology, and actions. That is exactly what they have done with great success―for with the child now glued to the screen, away from religion the child they do wean! Teenagers in the United States are spending vast amounts of their days using screens as a form of leisure and entertainment, according to a new report. Teens spend an average of seven hours and 22 minutes on their phones a day, and ‘tweens’ ― ages 8 to 12 ― are not far behind, at four hours and 44 minutes daily, according to a new report by Common Sense Media, a nonprofit that promotes safe technology and media for children. This amount of screen time does not included time spent on schoolwork, according to the report. When figuring in activities such as reading books and listening to music, the numbers jumped to nine hours and 49 minutes daily for teens and five hours and 54 minutes daily for tweens (ages 8 to 12). The report also found that online video viewing is “through the roof,” as more than twice as many young people are watching videos every day than in 2015. The percentage of teens who said they spend time watching online videos jumped from 34% to 69%, and the number of tweens (8 to 12 year olds) who reported watching online videos rose from 24% to 56% in that same time frame. When you compare that to religious activities―daily prayers, daily spiritual reading, etc. ― there is no comparison, it is like a worldly mountain standing next to a spiritual grain of sand. It is no surprise that 90% of children have ceased practicing their Faith regularly by the time they finish their education (High School or College/University). The children are as good as in Satan’s hand―because he has succeeding in placing smartphones in their hand. He is smart―we are not so smart! That is what we fail to see and need to see―for the smartphone (and all other modern technology from the television upwards) has blinded our eyes to God. We can no longer see God because we have difficulty seeing past these technological distractions that are at the end of our noses. We―not just children, but adults also―have become blind with regard to God. Consequently, we cannot lead the children―the young generation―to God, because we have lost sight of the way being distracted as we are with the world. We are, what Our Lord calls, “the blind leading the blind” and whom He says: “Leave them alone! They are blind, and leaders of the blind! And if the blind lead the blind, both will fall into the pit!” (Matthew 15:14). We have dug a pit for ourselves with our technological distractions―that is the seed that we have sown and now we are reaping its fruits―the beginning of mass apostasy from the Faith―proved by the fact that only 20% of Catholics regularly attend Sunday Mass (which binds a Catholic under the pain of mortal sin), and further proved by the terrible statistic that over 90% of young Catholics cease practicing their Faith regularly once they finish their education in High School or College/University. We should see all these dangers signs, we should worry about the dangers they bring―but we don’t! We are too distracted with all that is going on around us that we fail to see pit ahead of us! The fact that most souls end up in Hell no longer worries or fazes most Catholics―because they are too busy having a good time on Earth! Who the hell cares about Hell when there is so much fun to be had right now? That fatal mindset is chiefly found in the youth of today―but many adults, even the once traditionally minded “baby-boomers”, subscribe to that attitude too! Despite all the warnings from Heaven, from Our Lady in her many apparitions, the threats merely flow over us like water flowing off a duck’s back. What we fail to see is that we risk being the “roasted duck” on the devil’s plate one day! First Oblivious, Then Obliterated In the meantime, we blithely and nonchalantly go about our daily preoccupations unpreoccupied with what should preoccupy us the most―our salvation. As Sr. Lucia of Fatima warned: ““Father, the Blessed Virgin is very sad, because no one heeds her message; neither the good nor the bad. The good continue on with their life of virtue and apostolate, but they do not unite their lives to the message of Fatima. Sinners, ignoring the message, keep following the road of evil, because they do not see the terrible chastisement about to befall them. But you must believe me that God is going to punish the world and chastise it in a tremendous way!” (Sr. Lucia of Fatima to Fr. Fuentes, December 26th, 1957). Our Lord’s words are equally applicable in this case: “Not everyone that saith to Me: ‘Lord! Lord!’ shall enter into the Kingdom of Heaven: but he that doth the will of My Father, Who is in Heaven, he shall enter into the Kingdom of Heaven. Many will say to me in that day: ‘Lord! Lord! Have not we prophesied in Thy Name, and cast out devils in Thy Name, and done many miracles in Thy Name?’ And then will I profess unto them: ‘I never knew you! Depart from Me, you that work iniquity!’ Everyone therefore that heareth these My words, and doth them, shall be likened to a wise man that built his house upon a rock, and the rain fell, and the floods came, and the winds blew, and they beat upon that house, and it fell not, for it was founded on a rock. And every one that heareth these My words, and doth them not, shall be like a foolish man that built his house upon the sand, and the rain fell, and the floods came, and the winds blew, and they beat upon that house, and it fell, and great was the fall thereof!” (Matthew 7:21-27). “Why call you Me, ‘Lord! Lord!’ and do not the things which I say?” (Luke 6:46). “Do you not yet know nor understand? Have you still your heart blinded? Having eyes, see you not? And having ears, hear you not? Neither do you remember!” (Mark 8:17-18). Politics has become a distraction―it is theater meant to preoccupy the common man. As William Casey, CIA Director from 1981 to 1987, said in 1982 to President Reagan: “We’ll know our disinformation program is complete when everything the American public believes is false.” Investigative journalist Jack Anderson, wrote in the September 22nd, 1981, Santa Cruz Sentinel discussing the troubling CIA disinformation campaign being waged against Americans. Anderson pointed out the CIA’s “triple assault on the public’s right to know” included (1) trying to shut-off channels of information to the electorate, (2) seeking criminal penalties against reporters whose stories might identify CIA operatives, and the third which Anderson called most troubling, (3) spreading “disinformation” to news agencies. Truly the words of Holy Scripture apply to the politics of today: “These things they thought, and were deceived―for their own malice blinded them!” (Wisdom 2:21). “Son of man, thou dwellest in the midst of a provoking house: who have eyes to see, and see not: and ears to hear, and hear not: for they are a provoking house” (Ezechiel 12:2). Once again, you could apply Our Lord’s words to the relationship of politics to the common man: “Do you not yet know nor understand? Have you still your heart blinded? Having eyes, see you not? And having ears, hear you not?” (Mark 8:17-18). To which Holy Scripture adds: “O foolish people without understanding: who have eyes, and see not: and ears, and hear not!” (Jeremias 5:21). “They have not known, nor understood: for their eyes are covered that they may not see, and that they may not understand with their heart” (Isaias 44:18). We have become so distracted and blind that we fail to see that the only solution for the world today is a spiritual solution. No weapons, no words, no viral YouTube videos, no passing-on of e-mails, no signing of petitions, no armed uprisings―none of these things and other similar things are going to change the critical and damning state of the world today. More than ever it has to be recourse to the supernatural and spiritual weapons that God and Heaven have placed before us―but which we stubbornly (or stupidly) refuse to use―preferring, instead, to spout and pout, to forward the viral videos, to employ endless e-mails, to complain constantly, etc. ― all the while forgetting or ignoring Our Lord’s damning statement: “Without Me, you can do nothing!” (John 15:5). Article 24
Ruled by One or Ruled by Many? Monarchy or Democracy? Do You Want a King Trump or Queen Kamala? IN BRIEF
St. Thomas Aquinas (1225-1274) reasoned that there are two types of government―Just and Unjust―and that there are three basic forms that these may take. Before going any further, it must be stressed that Aquinas required that ALL FORMS OF GOVERNMENT HAD TO BE SUBSERVIENT AND OBEDIENT TO GOD AND GOD’S LAWS―OTHERWISE THEY WERE UNJUST GOVERNMENTS AND COULD BE DEPOSED. A JUST GOVERNMENT ► A Just Monarchy For Aquinas, the absolute best form of government was the rule of a single leader whose heart was kind and just and who applied God’s law to all matters of governance. This was the most efficient form of government, because there were no obstacles in the way of the king’s benevolent rule. ► A Just Oligarchy The second preference would be the rule by an aristocracy, or elite leadership, which is called an “oligarchy”, who would rule as a kind of senate, making decisions for the people they represent. This is not nearly as efficient as a monarchy, so is not as ideal, but is the next best thing. Again, it is presumed that these are God-fearing men, subservient and obedient to the will and laws of God, who are doing what is best for the people according to God’s dictates and not merely themselves and not their own profit or advantage. ► A Just Democracy A democracy is rule by the masses. This is the most inefficient of the three options because masses of people move very slowly. Assuming that the people are just and God-fearing (this is, of course, quite a leap theologically ― and begs the question of why you need a formal government in the first place!), this can be a good form of government, although it is quite unlikely that you will ever get anything done because of the debates, disagreements and multitude suggestions on how to do anything and everything. Furthermore, is everybody going to be equally subservient and obedient to the will and laws of God? Very unlikely! Hence arguments and divisions are very likely to arise. AN UNJUST GOVERNMENT ► An Unjust Democracy Supposing that the people were selfish and looked only after their own interests, rather than following the law of God and caring about others, a democracy would be the best form of unjust government. Why? Because democracies move slowly, hence it would degenerate more slowly, and this form of rule would be the least likely to adopt tyranny (since everyone is wanting to be free from external rule and restrictions). ► An Unjust Oligarch If tyranny is a risk, then tyranny is more likely to happen at the hands of a few, than at the hands of the masses. Therefore, according to Aquinas, an oligarchy (governance by the few) is worse than a democracy (governance by the masses), but better than a monarchy, if you were FORCED or UNAVOIDABLY HAD to settle for some form of unjust government. ► An Unjust Monarchy The absolute worst form of unjust government that Aquinas could envision was the tyranny of a single monarchy. As you look back at the history of the world, it is not hard to agree with his assessment. So, the best kind of government, with a kind and benevolent king, could also be the worst if the king is bad or evil, because there is no “red tape” or bureaucracy to keep the bad or evil king in check. IN MORE DETAIL Political-philosophy types should all be familiar with Plato’s belief that the “philosopher king” would be the best ruler. Picking up on that theme, St. Thomas Aquinas delves into the best form of government in his book, On Kingship (De Regno). Americans―being raised on and used to democracy―will probably be surprised to learn about what Aquinas thought was the best form of government. Somewhat like the Ancient Greek philosopher Plato, Aquinas believed that monarchy was best. Well, actually, it would be a “Christian spiritual philosopher king” that would be the best ruler. The problem is you can never find him―especially today! The reasons? St. Thomas Aquinas believed that “the aim of any ruler should be directed towards securing the welfare of that which he undertakes to rule” and that a king would be the best to do so – much like the captain of a ship. If there is rule by many, then the government and country are prone to disunity ― which is what we see in democracies today. As Aquinas argues, “for union is necessary among them if they are to rule at all: several men, for instance, could not pull a ship in one direction unless joined together in some fashion.” And so he believed one man is better at keeping a country united―but let it again be stressed in these godless days, that one man is not, and should not be, independent of God and God’s laws. Otherwise you have a recipe for disaster. He also believed that rule by one is the natural order of things. As he writes, “whatever is in accord with nature is best, for in all things nature does what is best. Now, every natural governance is governance by one.” For example, each person rules themselves―even though they take advice from others and align themselves with God’s will―they ultimately have the final say on each course of action, upon which they, and they alone, shall be judged one day. To Aquinas, history shows that the natural order of things is to have a king: “For provinces or cities which are not ruled by one person are torn with dissensions and tossed about without peace…” In other areas of On Kingship, Aquinas elaborates as to the character of this king. He should have a “zeal for justice”, “the gentleness of clemency”, and “mildness” when it comes to the “individuals who are subject to his rule”. In other words, Aquinas sees a sort of “philosopher king” as the best ruler as well. But Aquinas is no fool. As much as a monarchy may be the best form of government with a “philosopher king” at the head, the system of rule by one man can also be the very worst form of government if a tyrant is at the head. “If an unjust government is carried on by one man alone, who seeks his own benefit from his rule and not the good of the multitude subject to him, such a ruler is called a tyrant—a word derived from strength—because he oppresses by might instead of ruling by justice.” Because power is centralized in a monarchy, if a tyrant rules the throne he is able to efficiently and effectively pursue his own good over that of his people. That is also why people reflexively hate the idea of monarchy – even if ruled by the “philosopher king”, as Aquinas admits: “Because both the best and the worst government are latent in monarchy, i.e. in the rule of one man, the royal dignity is rendered hateful to many people on account of the wickedness of tyrants. Some men, indeed, whilst they desire to be ruled by a king, fall under the cruelty of tyrants, and not a few rulers exercise tyranny under the cloak of royal dignity” As for other forms of government? Aquinas considered them all to be different forms of “polyarchy” or rule by many, including aristocracy, oligarchy, democracy, and a republic. Aquinas believed that the core problem of “polyarchy” is disunity: “Group government [polyarchy] most frequently breeds dissension.” And to Aquinas, where does the dissension and disunity lead? Tyranny. Aquinas says: “Moreover, in point of fact, a polyarchy [many rulers] deviates into tyranny, not less, but perhaps more frequently, than a monarchy. When, on account of there being many rulers, dissensions arise in such a government, it often happens that the power of one person preponderates and he then usurps the government of the multitude for himself. This indeed may be clearly seen from history. There has hardly ever been a polyarchy [rule by many] that did not end in tyranny. The best illustration of this fact is the history of the Roman Republic. It was for a long time administered by the magistrates―but then animosities, dissensions and civil wars arose and it fell into the power of the most cruel tyrants. In general, if one carefully considers what has happened in the past and what is happening in the present, he will discover that more men have held tyrannical sway in lands previously ruled by many rulers, than in those ruled by one.” Article 23
Politics Trumps Christianity Modern-day Catholicism has become much like any political system with its divided political parties agreeing on some things and disagreeing upon others. Our Lord’s desire when speaking to God the Father concerning the church, “that they may be one, as We also are one” (John 17:22) is far from being achieved. The current “political” state of the Church is not united but very divided―more than it has ever been in its 2000-year-old history.
Today, the vast majority of Catholics embrace Liberalism (which is a sin in itself) with an ever-increasing number descending even further into the pit by morphing from Liberalism into Modernism. Add to that the stance of Traditionalists and Conservatives and the shades between them, including the Sedevacanstists, Sedeprivationists, and all their offshoot “Sedes.” Within all groups ― Traditionalism, Conservatism, Liberalism, Modernism, Sedevacantism, Sedeprivationism ― you have limitless shades of “-isms” that continue to splinter and splinter as each Catholic becomes their own “judge and jury” or “pope and curia”. At the moment, Christ’s desire “that they may be one, as We also are one” (John 17:22) is but a pipedream that is going to need hammering-out on the anvil of Heaven. This attitude of every man being his own pope or judge as to what is true and what is false, what is to be believed and what is to be disbelieved, has fractured and splintered the ‘synapses’ of Catholic logic. Everyone can now hold their own truth―even if all our ‘truths’ seemingly contradict each other―we are nevertheless all “correct”. What is true for you may not be true for someone else―but you are both right! As a result of this “jellyfish” Catholicism―a Catholicism that lacks a backbone of objectivity and truth, preferring instead the ever-changing truth of subjectivity ― Catholics adhere to political parties which, each in their own sphere, preach sin and anti-Catholic teachings. It is predictable that if a Catholic identifies as a Republican, then he or she will likely disagree with most positions of the U.S. Catholic bishops (who are sadly Liberal or Modernist) hold on issues like poverty, social justice, immigration, health care, and gun violence. Similarly, if a Catholic identifies as a Democrat, then he or she will almost certainly disagree with Church teaching on issues like the legalization of abortion, physician-assisted suicide, and same-sex marriage. When positions advocated by the Church come into conflict with a person’s political party or ideology, it is the Church that loses every single time. They say that the United States of America is an ethnic melting pot, in which people from many nations are melted-down, mixed together, and remolded as citizens of the U.S. Similarly, you could say that Catholic doctrine has been melted-down, mixed together with politics and subjectivism, and remolded and presented as the New Catholic Teaching or Truth of the present modern-day neo-pagan, secular, religiously indifferent age that is paving the way for the New World Order. One of the root causes for the present ideological political mess is the much praised but greatly catastrophic so-called “Separation of Church and State” ― whereby the Church keeps out of the political sphere and does not interfere or tell the State what to do; and, on the other side of the fence, the State keeps out of the religious sphere and does not interfere or tell the Church what to do. However, we have seen, over decades, a gradual and increasing invasion of the Church by the State, especially in financial and legislative matters. For example, trying to command churches to bless same-sex marriages, forbidding churches and religious schools to discriminate against sinful LGBTQ persons seeking employment; laying down conditions for churches accepting State financial assistance, etc. It is no longer, as Our Lord said: “Give therefore to Caesar the things that are Caesar’s; and to God, the things that are God’s” (Matthew 22:21)―but now it is a case of “Give therefore to Caesar the things that are Caesar’s; and also give to Caesar the things of God that Caesar might want!” Caesar (the State) looks upon himself (itself) as being above God. And, as some have noted, most of today’s Americans are American first and Catholic second. This has clearly been the case with some Catholic politicians, past and present―like Joe Biden and Nancy Pelosi―who are either entirely for abortion or two-faced about abortion―saying, like Biden, “I’m prepared to accept that at the moment of conception there’s human life and being, but I’m not prepared to say that to other God-fearing, non-God-fearing people that have a different view.” Out of the current 26 Catholic Senators in the 118th United States Congress (January 2023 to January 2025), 16 Catholic Senators are totally or partially in favor of abortion. They call themselves Catholic, yet blatantly oppose Catholic teaching! In the Senate, there are 15 Catholic Democrats, 12 of whom have a perfect pro-abortion record. Of the 11 Catholic Republicans in the Senate, only 7 have a perfect pro-life record. Even the so-called ‘Catholic’ Biden says: “Personally for me, Faith, it’s all about hope and purpose and strength, and for me, my religion is just an enormous sense of solace. I go to Mass and I say the Rosary. I find it to be incredibly comforting.” Yet Biden’s website also pledges him to “restore federal funding for Planned Parenthood.” In a 2019 article about Biden’s record on abortion, Biden’s press secretary, Jamal Brown, said that when Biden arrived in the Senate in 1973 he thought Roe v. Wade was wrongly decided, but now “firmly believes that Roe v. Wade is the law of the land and should not be overturned.” Maybe he also finds the murder of babies through abortion to be “an enormous sense of solace” and “incredibly comforting.” As regards the sinfulness of homosexuality and transgenderism, as vice president, Biden supported the Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell Repeal Act of 2010, which repealed the prohibition on open service by gay, lesbian, and bisexual people in the U.S. military. In the Senate, ‘Catholic’ Biden was an outspoken critic of congressional Republicans’ efforts to prohibit same-sex marriage. In a May 2012 Meet the Press interview, Vice President Biden said he was “absolutely comfortable with the fact that men marrying men, women marrying women, and heterosexual men and women marrying another are entitled to the same exact rights, all the civil rights, all the civil liberties. And quite frankly, I don’t see much of a distinction beyond that.” ‘Catholic’ Biden supported the U.S. Supreme Court’s ruling in 2015, which held that same-sex couples have a federal constitutional right to marry. Biden issued a statement saying that the ruling reflected a principle that “all people should be treated with respect and dignity—and that all marriages, at their root, are defined by unconditional love.” In an event with the group Freedom to Marry, Biden described the decision as “the civil rights movement of our generation.” During his 2020 presidential campaign, Biden vowed to support legislation and action to prohibit discrimination against transgender people and to combat hate crimes targeting LGBT persons, including violence and harassment against transgender people. All of this is a clearly proven case of American and Politician first, but Catholic second. He is “absolutely comfortable with the fact that men marrying men, women marrying women” regardless of what God thinks, what the Faith says, or what the damning consequences there are for such behavior and for those who promote and protect such behavior. In the 1960s, John F. Kennedy was the only Catholic to be President of the United States. He won the presidency in one of the closest elections in American history—by a margin of 118,000 votes out of 69 million. More than a half century after his presidency, John F. Kennedy remains the only Catholic to have held the highest office in the land. Yet even President Kennedy was a Liberal Catholic who had compromised his Faith―back in the days (early 1960s) when the Catholic Faith was much more Traditional and Conservative. Remember, John F. Kennedy was brought up going to the Traditional Latin Mass―he never experienced the aftermath of the Second Vatican Council, nor the New Mass. Yet in the months leading up to the 1960 presidential election, the Democratic Senator Kennedy, who was constantly being hounded over the Catholic religion stigma that he carried, gave a press conference in Washington to the editors of all the leading newspapers, in which he clearly showed that he was American first and Catholic second. Senator John F. Kennedy said: “I am not ‘trying to be the first Catholic President,’ as some have written. I happen to believe I can serve my nation as President ― and I also happen to have been born a Catholic … What, then, is the so-called religious issue in American politics today? It is not, it seems to me, my actual religious convictions ― but a misunderstanding of what those convictions actually are ... I do not think that religion is the decisive issue in any state. I do not think it should be. I do not think it should be made to be … For the past months and years, I have answered almost daily inquiries from the press about the religious issue. Is the religious issue a legitimate issue in this campaign? There is only one legitimate question underlying all the rest: ‘Would you, as President of the United States, be responsive in any way to ecclesiastical pressures or obligations [of Faith] of any kind that might in any fashion influence or interfere with your conduct of that office in the national interest?’ I have answered that question many times. My answer was ― and is ‘NO!’ ... The prospects of any President ever receiving for his signature, a bill providing foreign aid funds for birth control, are very remote indeed. It is hardly the major issue some have suggested. Nevertheless I have made it clear that I would neither veto, nor sign, such a bill on any basis―except what I considered to be the public interest, without regard to my private religious views … The President is not elected to be protector of the Faith ― or guardian of the public morals … I do not speak for the Catholic Church on issues of public policy ― and no one in that Church speaks for me … The Supreme Court has written that as public officials: ‘We are neither Jew, nor Gentile, neither Catholic, nor Agnostic. We owe equal attachment to the Constitution and are equally bound by our obligations whether we derive our citizenship from the earliest or latest immigrants to these shores .... for religion is outside the sphere of political government.’” Those sinful words of John F. Kennedy are today practiced by many so-called ‘Catholic’ Senators. Religion is put aside for popular opinion or personal opinion. In the previous 117th United States Congress (January 2021 to January 2023), out of 24 Catholic Senators, the following 13 Catholic senators voted on February 28th, 2022, in favor of the bill attempting to pass a sweeping new abortion law that threatened to override States’ pro-life laws and remove restrictions on abortion up to the point of birth. The bill failed to pass. The 13 pro-abortion senators were Maria Cantwell, D-Wash.; Bob Casey, D-Penn; Catherine Cortez Masto, D-Nev.; Dick Durbin, D-Ill.; Kirsten Gillibrand, D-N.Y.; Tim Kaine, D-Va.; Mark Kelly, D-Ariz.; Patrick Leahy, D-Vt.; Ed Markey, D-Mass.; Bob Menendez, D-N.J.; Patty Murray, D-Wash.; Alex Padilla, D-Calif., and Jack Reed, D-R.I. Their support of the defeated bill, called the “Women’s Health Protection Act”, placed them sharply at odds with the clear teaching of their Catholic Faith, which strictly prohibits abortion and condemns efforts to promote it. Of those 13 pro-abortion senators, 11 were re-elected to the current 118th United States Congress (January 2023 to January 2025), in which there are 26 Catholic Senators. Those 11 pro-abortion re-elected senators are highlighted in boldprint above. Patrick Leahy, D-Vt.; Bob Menendez, D-N.J. were not re-elected. The so-called ‘Christian’ DONALD TRUMP―with his fallen-away Catholic wife Melania―is two-faced when it comes to abortion. In a published excerpt from her new book, Melania, set to be released on October 8th, 2024, Mrs. Trump says: “There is no room for compromise when it comes to this essential right that all women possess from birth: individual freedom … What does ‘my body’, ‘my choice’ really mean? … It is imperative to guarantee that women have autonomy in deciding their preference of having children, based on their own convictions, free from any intervention or pressure from the government … Why should anyone other than the woman herself have the power to determine what she does with her own body? A woman’s fundamental right of individual liberty, to her own life, grants her the authority to terminate her pregnancy if she wishes … Restricting a woman’s right to choose whether to terminate an unwanted pregnancy is the same as denying her control over her own body. I have carried this belief with me throughout my entire adult life.” Spoken like a true so-called ‘Catholic’! As for Donald Trump, on the one hand he loudly states that he is against abortion, but on the other hand he says that each State can vote on whether or not they want to make abortion legal! On October 1st, 2024, Trump said “Everyone knows I would not support a federal abortion ban, under any circumstances, and would, in fact, veto it.” Trump then said that abortion rights should be left up to the States — which is his most common response to questions about the issue, since Roe v. Wade was overturned by a conservative majority that included three of Trump’s own appointees to the Supreme Court in 2022. In the two years since the ruling, abortion rights have emerged as a major vulnerability for the GOP, which has struggled to find a consistent message on the path forward, while driving turnout for Democrats. The convert to Catholicism, the Republican Ohio Senator JAMES DAVID (JD) VANCE, claimed during his October 1st, 2024, debate with Kamala Harris’ running-mate, the fallen-away Catholic Tim Walz (now Lutheran), that Vance never supported a national ban himself, though he said in 2022 that he “certainly would like abortion to be illegal nationally” and supported Sen. Lindsey Graham’s proposal to impose a national ban on abortion at 15 weeks of pregnancy. In 2023, he voiced support for a “minimum national standard” for abortion, including at 15 weeks of pregnancy. In his October 1st debate with Tim Walz, JD Vance said: “Let voters make these decisions, let the individual States make their abortion policy!” In other words, if you vote for murder, then you can go ahead and murder―I don’t agree with it, but you have a right to vote as you like! The so-called ‘Christian’ duo of Kamala Harris and Tim Walz are no different―they are both adamantly supportive of abortion as well as LGBTQ policies. They hide behind the euphemistic curtain of “Women’s Health Care” and “Reproductive Rights” which is nothing but a misnomer or a cloak for abortion (or murder, if you are going to realistic and truthful). They see abortion as an essential component of women’s health care. Pro-Choice is nothing other than Pro-Murder! Is God going to bless that? God said: “Thou shalt not kill!” ― but they protest: “I’m not killing my baby! I’m just looking after my health!” KAMALA HARRIS, claims to be a Christian belonging to the Baptists. While still Attorney General for California (2011–2017), Harris supported same sex marriages. She banned in California courts the “gay panic defense” which sought to excuse violence against perceived unwanted sexual advances by homosexuals. She also opposed the state’s same-sex marriage ban. After entering politics, Harris's domestic platform is similar to Biden's on multiple issues, supporting national abortion protections, LGBTQ+ rights. Harris is also a supporter for the legalization of the drug cannabis (marijuana). TIM WALZ was born and raised Catholic―but abandoned the Faith when aged around 20. He chose to accept the Lutheran religion of the woman he was dating and was going to marry. The fallen-away Catholic Tim Walz―who is now waltzing with the devil―is pro-LGBTQ and pro-abortion! Walz supports a legal right to abortion, and has a 100% rating from Planned Parenthood. The National Right to Life Committee, an anti-abortion organization, gave him a rating of zero. In January 2023, Walz signed the Protect Reproductive Options Act, which protects access to reproductive health care including abortion, contraception, and fertility treatments in Minnesota. Abortion is legal at all stages of pregnancy in Minnesota. In April 2023, he signed the Reproductive Freedom Defense Act, which banned state agencies from "enforcing out-of-state subpoenas, arrest warrants, and extradition requests" for people who travel to Minnesota for legal abortion. In a March 2024 interview with CNN's Kaitlin Collins, he said: “My neighboring States have tried to criminalize women getting health care!” and characterized their policies as “a health care crisis” ― adding that States need to “trust women to make their own health care decisions” and to “understand that abortion is health care.” Since when was murder classified as being “health care”? Fallen-away Catholic Tim Walz supports LGBTQ rights, including federal anti-discrimination laws on the basis of sexual orientation. Walz voted in favor of the Sexual Orientation Employment Nondiscrimination Act. In 2007, he received a 90% grade from the Human Rights Campaign, the nation's largest LGBT rights organization. In 2011, Walz announced his support for the Respect for Marriage Act―which requires the U.S. federal government and all U.S. states and territories to recognize the validity of same-sex and interracial civil marriages in the United States. As governor, Walz has signed a number of bills that support the LGBTQ community. Tim Walz advocated the legalization of recreational cannabis as governor of Minnesota. As a candidate for governor in 2017, he said: “We have an opportunity in Minnesota to trust adults to make personal decisions based on their personal freedoms.” In 2022, he proposed the creation of a Cannabis Management Office to develop and implement the “regulatory framework for adult-use cannabis [marijuana]” in Minnesota. On May 30th, 2023, he signed into law House File 100 to legalize recreational cannabis [marijuana] in Minnesota, which went into effect on August 1st, 2023. Such is the state of Catholic politicians and Christian politicians! Such are the lawmakers of the land! Such is the politics of modern man! Do we really think that God is going to bless America? Does God bless countries that sacrifice millions of babies each year? The U.S. sacrifices around 1 million babies each year! Politicians and lawmakers seek to make it lawful and acceptable! “Woe to you that call evil good, and good evil―that put darkness for light, and light for darkness!” (Isaias 5:20). The following words of Holy Scripture can clearly be applied to most modern-day politicians: “The Lord has looked down from Heaven upon the children of men, to see if there be any that understand and seek God. They are corrupt, and are become abominable in their ways―there is none that does good―no, not one! They are all gone aside, they are become unprofitable together―there is none that does good; no, not one! Their throat is an open sepulcher; with their tongues they acted deceitfully; the poison of asps is under their lips. Their mouth is full of cursing and bitterness; their feet are swift to shed blood. Destruction and unhappiness in their ways; and the way of peace they have not known; there is no fear of God before their eyes!” (Psalm 13:1-3). Article 22
Should It Be About Right and Left? Or Right and Wrong? “You know where I stand,” George W. Bush said any number of times before his 2004 electoral victory. Where does Donald Trump stand? Where does Kamala Harris stand? Where does the Republican Party stand? Where does the Democratic Party stand? Where do all the other politicians stand? Where do the voters stand? Where do you stand? Do you stand for “The Right” or for “The Left”? Or do you stand for “what is right” against “what is wrong”? Do those politicians on “The Right” stand for what is right, or for what is wrong? Do those politicians on “The Left” stand for what is right, or for what is wrong? Is “The Right” really right, or are they wrong? Is “The Left” really right, or are they wrong? As Our Lord said: “Either make the tree good and its fruit good: or make the tree evil, and its fruit evil. For by the fruit the tree is known!” (Matthew 12:33).
Our Lord goes on to say: “Enter ye in at the narrow gate: for wide is the gate, and broad is the way that leads to destruction, and many there are who go in thereat. How narrow is the gate, and strait is the way that leads to life: and few there are that find it! Beware of false prophets [politicians], who come to you in the clothing of sheep, but inwardly they are ravening wolves. By their fruits you shall know them. Do men gather grapes of thorns, or figs of thistles? Even so every good tree bringeth forth good fruit, and the evil tree bringeth forth evil fruit. A good tree cannot bring forth evil fruit, neither can an evil tree bring forth good fruit. Every tree that bringeth not forth good fruit, shall be cut down, and shall be cast into the fire. Wherefore by their fruits you shall know them. Not everyone that saith to Me: ‘Lord! Lord!’ shall enter into the Kingdom of Heaven―but he that doth the will of My Father Who is in Heaven, he shall enter into the Kingdom of Heaven. Many will say to Me in that day: ‘Lord! Lord! Have not we prophesied in Thy Name, and cast out devils in Thy Name, and done many miracles in Thy Name?’ And then will I profess unto them: ‘I never knew you! Depart from Me, you that work iniquity!’ Every one therefore that hears these My words, and doth them, shall be likened to a wise man that built his house upon a rock―and the rain fell, and the floods came, and the winds blew, and they beat upon that house, and it fell not, for it was founded on a rock. And every one that hears these My words, and doth them not, shall be like a foolish man that built his house upon the sand―and the rain fell, and the floods came, and the winds blew, and they beat upon that house, and it fell, and great was the fall thereof” (Matthew 7:13-27). George Orwell, the author of the famous dystopic novel 1984 (Nineteen Eighty-Four), wrote in 1944: “The real problem of our time is to restore the sense of absolute right and wrong, when the belief that it used to rest on—that is, the belief in personal immortality—has been destroyed. This demands faith―which is a different thing from credulity.” The modern ‘Christian’ politician focuses more on what to render or give to Caesar, rather than what to render or give to God―he has very little regard for God’s Prophets and no end of veneration for personal profits. Politicians (and voters) are more concerned about the battle between “The Right” (Conservatives, Republicans) and “The Left” (Liberals, Democrats), with less and less concern about what is “Right” and “Wrong”. In fact, it is increasingly being shown that the most politicians and followers of each political party (e.g. Republicans & Democrats) think that their opinions and policies and always “Right” and that opinions and policies of the other political party are always “Wrong”. This falls into the trap of SUBJECTIVE TRUTH (meaning truth is what I personally think is true) replacing OBJECTIVE TRUTH (meaning truth is NOT based on WHAT I THINK, but truth is based ON WHAT ACTUALLY IS). In the case of SUBJECTIVE TRUTH―I change or adjust truth to fit my opinions, preferences, prejudices and tendencies. Whereas with OBJECTIVE TRUTH―I must change or adjust my opinions, preferences, prejudices and tendencies to fit in with the truth. In SUBJECTIVE TRUTH―I change and shape truth to fit myself. In OBJECTIVE TRUTH―I change, adjust or shape my thoughts to fit in with the truth. “Woe to you that call evil good, and good evil―that put darkness for light, and light for darkness―that put bitter for sweet, and sweet for bitter!” (Isaias 5:20). Today, sadly, truth is sacrificed on the altar of wishful thinking, feelings and imagination. Truth changes as the mood changes. There is no longer an unchangeable truth (dogma)―the god of self can now change anything that the God of Heaven once set in stone. Even the commandments of God are now changed―and what was once “right” is now “wrong”; and what was once “wrong” is now “right” ― and the politicians of both “The Right” and “The Left” subscribe to this creed of changeable truth. Of such blind fools Our Lord says: “Leave them alone! They are blind, and leaders of the blind! And if the blind lead the blind, both will fall into the pit!” (Matthew 15:14). In our present day and age, the media has become the main and self-appointed channel for ‘truth’―however, what the media would like to call ‘truth’ is not always the truth! Increasingly, the media will “call evil good, and good evil―that put darkness for light, and light for darkness” (Isaias 5:20). The media is merely a tool and instrument of propaganda (which basically is lies) that is used by the very few who own and control the media. Our Lord’s words to today’s mainstream media and their behind-the-scenes controllers, would be the same words as He addressed to the Jewish Scribes and Pharisees: “My words have no place in you! … Why do you not know My speech― a man who have spoken the truth to you? Because you are of your father the devil, and the desires of your father you will do! He stood not in the truth; because truth is not in him! When he speaks a lie, he speaks of his own―for he is a liar, and the father of lies! But if I say the truth, you believe me not! … If I say the truth to you, why do you not believe Me? He that is of God, heareth the words of God. Therefore you hear them not, because you are not of God!” (John 8:34-47). This is related to what William Casey, the CIA Director from 1981 to 1987, said at an early February 1981 meeting of the newly elected President Reagan and his new cabinet secretaries, weeks after he took office, at which various governmental agencies gave reports about their work at the start of the new President’s administration. The CIA Director, William Casey, said: “We’ll know our disinformation program is complete when everything the American public believes is false.” Barbara Honegger―Assistant to the Chief Domestic Policy Adviser for President Reagan―confirms that quote by William Casey. Barbara Honegger said: “I am the source for this quote, which was indeed said by CIA Director, William Casey, at an early February 1981 meeting of the newly elected President Reagan with his new cabinet secretaries, to report to him on what they had learned about their agencies in the first couple of weeks of the administration. The meeting was in the Roosevelt Room in the West Wing of the White House, not far from the Cabinet Room. I was present at the meeting as Assistant to the chief domestic policy adviser to the President. Casey first told Reagan that he had been astonished to discover that over 80% of the ‘intelligence’ ― that the analysis side of the CIA produced―was based on open public sources like newspapers and magazines. As he did to all the other secretaries of their departments and agencies, Reagan asked [Casey] what he saw as his goal as director for the CIA, to which he [Casey] replied with this quote, which I recorded in my notes of the meeting as he said it. Shortly thereafter I told Senior White House correspondent Sarah McClendon, who was a close friend and colleague, who in turn made it public.” (Barbara Honegger, Assistant to the Chief Domestic Policy Adviser to President Reagan). Not only does Honegger claim he said it, but apparently he said it in response to what he saw as being his goal as CIA Director! Today, the media seeks to control truth―and 90% of the media, in turn is controlled by the hidden “Elite” or “Money Men” or whatever you choose to call the minority who are in effect in control of most of the world. Investopedia reports: “For well over a century, the world’s wealthiest have dominated the media landscape.” Just 40 years ago, a mere 50 companies held sway over American media. Fast forward to 2020, and that number had dwindled to just six powerful corporations. AT&T, CBS, Comcast, Disney, Newscorp and Viacom. Those companies are owned by investors―and the common denominator investors of most major companies are the following four investor companies: (1) BLACKROCK, (2) VANGUARD, (3) STATE STREET, (4) BERKSHIRE HATHAWAY. All the six media controlling corporations―AT&T, CBS, Comcast, Disney, Newscorp and Viacom―have Blackrock, Vanguard and State Street listed among their top four investors (and it is the investors own the corportations). If you try find out who ultimately controls and is behind Blackrock, Vanguard, State Street and Berkshire Hathaway―you cannot find out, it is a secret and all you run into is a bunch of “front-men” who cover for those behind-the-scenes anonymous owners. As it has been aptly said: “Whoever controls the media, controls the mind!” The people at the very top who have control over the media, are, in turn controlled by Satan―for it is really and ultimately Satan who controls the world, whom Our Lord calls “the prince of this world” (John 12:31). The recently deceased (2016) chief exorcist of Rome for more than 30 years, Fr. Gabriele Amorth, confirmed this many times, saying: “The influence of Satan is immense! Today, Satan has free hands … The whole world is in the power of the evil one … The smoke of Satan has entered everywhere. Everywhere! … Today Satan rules the world … And, yes, Satan is in the Vatican! The devil resides in the Vatican! … Legions of demons have lodged there! … The demon tempts the authorities of the Church ― just as he tempts every authority, those of politics and industry. Evil exists in politics―quite often in fact! Everybody is vulnerable to the work of Satan! The devil loves to take over business leaders and those who hold political office!” The following graphic showing the pyramid of power, should give you an idea of how insignificant presidents, prime-ministers, politicians and other governmental personnel really are―they are merely puppets of the more powerful groups above them. 
Article 21
Politics or Cosmetics? Cosmetics could be said to be “the covering up of reality” or “the exaggeration of reality” or “the practice of pretense”― for women usually “put on” cosmetics to make themselves look more beautiful or less ugly than what they actually are (no offense intended, ladies). Hence the expressions “put-on” “make-up”―in the sense of “pretending” or “making things up” which are not true.
The same can be said of politics and politicians―they “put-on” a face, they “make-up” an image of themselves, they hide reality beneath a painted or powdered superficial covering. For example, we’ve all seen pictures of politicians holding babies in front of crowds of potential voters. Politicians, of course, have a right to enjoy the heart-warming feeling of embracing a newborn just as much as the rest of us. However, if a politician were to hold a baby for the sake of using it as a prop for photo―in order to try and convince voters of how ‘loving’ and ‘caring’ he/she is, then a problem arises. Now, whether politicians choose to hold babies as a superficial way to boost their rankings in the poles is impossible to know for sure, as we cannot read their minds to figure out why they do it, nor can we read the minds of voters to see if it had the desired effect. Negative ads and half-true claims, on the other hand, are definitely superficial tactics politicians use to gain the favor of the public. Voters should keep an eye out for these tactics to avoid falling prey to their influence. The political smear ad on TV, it is nothing else than a “plastering” on of ugly cosmetics on the “face” of a political opponent. It is great indication of the immaturity of politicians that they spend millions of dollars insulting one another in front of the entire United States? It is a case of ugly, childish, unchristian, political cosmetics. It all seems like a very superficial way to confront the mistakes of opposing candidates― intellectual, well-informed arguments against the candidates’ decisions are rarely used. In other words, candidates are taking the easy way out when they choose to destroy their opponent’s reputation, instead of voicing cogent reasonable logical and analytical plans for dealing with political issues. Some might argue that “smear ads” are important because they inform voters on the flaws of candidates. In some respect, a candidates’ past mistakes should be taken into account―especially if the flaw is uncorrected and unrepented. However, a better way to do this would be to calmly and respectfully point out a poor decision an opposing candidate made, why it was a bad decision, and indicate what proof it offers that the candidate will make bad decisions in the future. In other words, use rational reasoning rather than simply emotionally ranting about all of the things an opposing candidate has allegedly done wrong. To be fair, there might be a good reason that rational arguments are not a candidate’s preferred method of self-promotion. The reason might be that the average American doesn’t want to put forth the energy or time to digest confusing political issues. This could be because they’re busy or simply lazy and uninterested. More likely is the fact that most Americans have been “dumbed-down” so much that any in-depth discussion would place them out of their depth. Either way, treating elections like popularity contests is much easier and much less work. Unfortunately, when Americans interact with elections as though they are mere popularity contests, the wrong people end up representing and governing the nation. Besides―the real rulers of nations are not the politicians but the so-called “money-men” or “shadow government” or “deep-state”―or, ultimately and even more precisely, as Our Lord and Holy Scripture tells us―the prince of this world, who is the devil or Satan: “The prince of this world cometh, and in Me he hath not anything … The prince of this world is already judged ... Now shall the prince of this world be cast out!” (John 12:31; 16:11; 14:30). “Our wrestling is not against flesh and blood; but against principalities and power, against the rulers of the world of this darkness, against the spirits of wickedness in the high places” (Ephesians 6:12). Things have become so bad―worse than you think, for cosmetics cover the reality―that only Heaven can help us now. Our Lady has been trying to tell us that for some time now. Our Lady wears no cosmetics, nor does she try cover reality with cosmetics―she tells it as it is, even if it worries us or frightens us. ► At QUITO, Ecuador, Our Lady of Good Success said: “At the end of the 19th century and into the 20th century, various heresies will be propagated … As these heresies spread and dominate, the precious light of Faith will be extinguished in souls by the almost total corruption of morals ... There will be occasions when all will seem lost and paralyzed. This then will be the happy beginning of the complete restoration. This, however, will mark the arrival of my hour, when I, in a marvelous way, will dethrone the proud and cursed Satan, trampling him under my feet and fettering him in the infernal abyss.” (Our Lady of Good Success, 1611). It is the promise later echoed by Our Lady at FATIMA in 1917: “In the end, my Immaculate Heart will triumph.” ► At LA SALETTE, France, in 1846, Our Lady speaks of her important role: “If my people do not wish to submit themselves, I am forced to let go of the hand of my Son! It is so heavy and weighs me down so much, that I can no longer keep hold of it! I have suffered all of the time for all of you! If I do not wish my Son to abandon you, I must take it upon myself to pray for this continually! And all of you think little of this! In vain you will pray! In vain you will act! You will never be able to make up for the trouble I have taken over for all of you!” ► At FATIMA, Portugal, in 1917, Our Lady speaks of herself in the third person―referring to herself as Our Lady of the Rosary―as she says: “Continue to pray the Rosary every day in honor of Our Lady of the Rosary … because only she can help you.” (July 13th, 1917). Adding later, “In the end, my Immaculate Heart will triumph.” ► At AKITA, Japan, in 1973, Our Lady again refers to herself as the one chosen by God and Heaven to bring victory: “Pray very much the prayers of the Rosary! I alone am able still to save you from the calamities which approach. Those who place their confidence in me will be saved.” It is not politics that will save―but Heaven in general and Our Lady in particular. Our Lady has been “elected” by God’s Divine Providence as being the one who will “rule” and “triumph” in the near future. With Our Lady there will be no “cosmetics”―with her, “What-You-See-Is-What-You-Get”―we already know her platform, we know her manifesto, we know her agenda―it is all about God; all about reducing the inflation of sin; all about draining the world of “Satan’s Swamp”; all about increasing the standard of moral living; all about paying God fair ‘taxes’ that are due to Him, those of prayer and penance; all about a beneficial spiritual health program for everyone; all about a generous eternal retirement plan. Those are the issues that really matter―those are the chief issues she is campaigning on and has been campaigning on for hundreds of years. Article 20
The Politics of Mary What?!! The Politics of Mary?!! How ridiculous can you get?!! Really? It is not so ludicrous as you think! First of all, what is understood by the word “politics”? Here are some definitions from a variety of dictionaries of the word “politics”:
● The art or science of government. ● The activities of the government, members of law-making organizations, or people who try to influence the way a country is governed. ● The job of holding a position of power in the government. ● The activities associated with the governance of a country or other area, especially the debate or conflict among individuals or parties having or hoping to achieve power. ● The often internally conflicting inter-relationships among people in a society. ● A particular set of political beliefs or principles. ● Someone’s opinions about how a country should be governed. ● Your politics are your beliefs about how a country ought to be governed. The English word “politics” comes from the Greek “politiká”, meaning “the affairs of the cities” ― that is to say, the set of activities that are associated with making decisions among groups, or other forms of power relations between individuals, such as the distribution of resources or status. Since Our Lady is Queen of Heaven and Earth, do you think she does not know the art of governing, or is ignorant in the science of government? Being Queen of Heaven and Earth, do you think that she holds no position of power in the government of Heaven and Earth? Is she not involved in the activities of governing the world? Is she not trying to exert an influence upon the world? Is she not trying to maneuver the world back to God? Is she not engaged in the inter-relationships of people in society? Does she not have a particular set of beliefs and principles as to how the world should be governed? Our Lady holds all these positions and is actively involved in Heaven’s politics of trying to get the world over to the side of God and stop the world from “voting” for and following Satan. Our Lady, therefore, is a politician “par excellence” ― there is no greater ‘politician’ that Our Lady, except God (Our Lord) Himself. Thus, we have no excuse for not getting involved in politics―since Our Lady is perpetually involved in the endless political drama and tug of war between the Heaven Party and the Hell Party, which competes for the votes (souls) of mankind. Our Lady is endlessly and tirelessly trying to win souls over the Heaven Party―but most of them are so deeply ensconced in the pleasurable freebies offered by the Hell Party (a.k.a. World Party), that Our Lady seems to be fighting a losing battle against the politics of pleasure, whereas she advocates the politics of penance. Much like politicians today―the Hell Party (World Party) makes promises it cannot keep. Its platform rests upon lies and propaganda. It is a house built on soft sand. Whereas Our Lady’s makes promises she will keep―but her platform is one of “no pain, no gain” or “no cross is your loss” and again “no thorns, no crown” ― basically telling us what she told St. Bernadette at Lourdes: “I do not promise to make you happy in this life, but in the next!” Whereas the Hell Party tells us to forget about the next life and party all you can in this life ― which will inevitably lead to a hell of a party in the next life! Whose politics do you want to follow? Where do you want to go? Yet, just as the messages and promises of many politicians are ignored―so too are the messages and promises (warnings and threats) of Our Lady ignored. Sister Lucia of Fatima tells us that: “the Blessed Virgin is very sad, because no one heeds her message; neither the good nor the bad. The good continue on the road of goodness with their life of virtue and apostolate without paying attention to this Message―they do not unite their lives to the message of Fatima. Sinners, the bad―because of their sins―do not see God’s chastisement about to fall upon them presently, and keep following the road of evil through sin, ignoring the Message, because they do not see the terrible chastisement about to befall them. But, Father, you must believe me that God is going to punish the world and chastise it in a tremendous way!” (Sr. Lucia of Fatima to Fr. Fuentes, December 26th, 1957). The politics of Our Lady are the only politics that will save our souls. Ignore her message at your peril. Reject her platform at your peril. Refuse her manifesto at your peril. For, Holy Mother Church in Her Liturgy puts the following words of Scripture into the mouth of Our Lady in one of the Masses in her honor: “Now therefore, ye children, hear me: Blessed are they that keep my ways. Hear instruction and be wise, and refuse it not. Blessed is the man that hears me, and that watches daily at my gates, and waits at the posts of my doors. He that shall find me, shall find life, and shall have salvation from the Lord. But he that shall sin against me, shall hurt his own soul. All that hate me love death!” (Proverbs 8:32-26). If you wish to be among the elect―if you wish to get “elected” to the Congress of Heaven―then it is the ‘policies’, ‘platform’ and ‘manifesto’ of Our Lady that you must follow! Otherwise you will not be ‘elected’… you will not be among the elect!! Are you totally “on-board” with Our Lady on her ‘platform’? Do you know what her ‘manifesto’ consists of? Do you know, follow and put into practice her ‘policies’? Don’t be like a modern-day politician, who will “talk-the-talk” but will not “walk-the-walk”. Faith without works is dead: “Faith also, if it have not works, is dead in itself. But some man will say: ‘Thou hast Faith, and I have works!’ ― Show me thy Faith without works; and I will show thee, by works, my Faith. Thou believest that there is one God. Thou dost well! But the devils also believe and tremble! But wilt thou know, O vain man, that Faith without works is dead? … For even as the body without the spirit is dead; so also Faith without works is dead!” (James 2:17-26). Article 19
Can Politics Be Cured? Politics is sick! Politics today is a politic of death! It is a politic of spiritual suicide! It is “Pied-Piper” politic leading to perpetual perdition. It is doomed to damnation―and a nation following today’s damnable politics will be damned with it. It is a politic that is spiritually blind―and both its leaders and its led will fall into the pit. “They are blind, and leaders of the blind. And if the blind lead the blind, both will fall into the pit!” says Our Lord (Matthew 15:14).
Why? Well, Our Lady explains it thus: ““From the end of the 19th century and especially in the 20th century, the passions will erupt and there will be a total corruption of morals, for Satan will reign almost completely by means of the Masonic sects ... These years, during which the evil sect of Masonry will take control of the civil government, will see a cruel persecution of all religious communities … All the civil governments will have one and the same plan, which will be to abolish and do away with every religious principle, to make way for materialism, atheism, spiritualism and vice of all kinds. They will abolish civil rights, as well as ecclesiastical rights. All order and all justice will be trampled underfoot and only homicides, hate, jealousy, lies and dissension will be seen, without love for country or family!” (Our Lady of Good Success & Our Lady of La Salette). To Blessed Sister Elena Aiello (1895-1961)―mystic, stigmatic, victim soul, prophetess and foundress of the Minim Tertiaries of the Passion of Our Lord Jesus Christ―Our Lady, in an apparition on the feast of the Immaculate Conception, December 8th, 1956, said: “People are offending God too much! If I were to show you all the sins committed on a single day, you would surely die of grief. These are grave times! The world is in total turmoil because it is in a worse condition than at the time of the deluge! Materialism marches on ever fomenting bloody strifes and fratricidal struggles. Clear signs portend that peace is in danger. That scourge, like the shadow of a dark cloud, is now moving across mankind―only my power, as Mother of God, is preventing the outbreak of the storm! All is hanging on a slender thread! When that thread shall snap, Divine Justice shall pounce upon the world and execute its dreadful, purging designs! All the nations shall be punished because sins, like a muddy river, are now covering all the Earth!” Surgical Spiritual Cure Needed Our Lady of La Salette predicts: “Woe to the inhabitants of the Earth! God will strike in an unprecedented way! God will exhaust His wrath upon them, and no one will be able to escape so many afflictions together! The chiefs, the leaders of the people of God, have neglected prayer and penance, and the devil has bedimmed their intelligence. They have become wandering stars which the old devil will drag along with his tail to make them perish. God will allow the old serpent to cause divisions among those who reign in every society and in every family. Physical and moral agonies will be suffered. God will abandon mankind to itself and will send punishments which will follow one after the other! … The society of men is on the eve of the most terrible scourges and of gravest events! Mankind must expect to be ruled with an iron rod and to drink from the chalice of the wrath of God!” Medicinally, the doctor always seeks the least invasive and least traumatic treatment. Basically, prevention is preferable to cure; or medication rather than amputation. You have to do what it takes. The removal of one part of the body must be done to save the rest of the body―leaving a diseased incurable body part in place, risks bringing death to the whole body. In a certain sense, this is also God’s diagnosis and prognosis―as clearly enunciated in Holy Scripture: “The soul that sinneth, the same shall die … But if the wicked do penance for all his sins which he hath committed, and keep all my commandments, and do judgment, and justice, living he shall live, and shall not die … Is it my will that a sinner should die, saith the Lord God, and not that he should be converted from his ways, and live? … And you have said: ‘The way of the Lord is not right!’ Hear ye, therefore! Is it my way that is not right, and are not rather your ways perverse? … For when the just turneth himself away from being just and committeth iniquity, he shall die therein! In the injustice that he hath wrought he shall die! And when the wicked turneth himself away from his wickedness and doeth judgment and justice―he shall save his soul alive! … Therefore will I judge every man according to his ways, saith the Lord God. Be converted and do penance for all your iniquities and iniquity shall not be your ruin! Cast away from you all your transgressions by which you have transgressed, and make unto yourselves a new heart and a new spirit―and why will you die? For I desire not the death of him that dieth, saith the Lord God, return ye and live!” (Ezechiel 18:20-32). What is here said of the soul, can also be said of politics―which, in a certain sense, should be the secular soul of the nation. Right now, the political soul of the nation―even all nations―is sick, satanically sick, for it follows the anti-Christian laws inspired by Satan―the prince of this world (John 14:16-17; 15:26; 16:7-11)―and increasingly disregards what remnants remain of the Laws of God. As Scripture says: “Be not deceived, God is not mocked! For what things a man shall sow, those also shall he reap. For he that soweth in his flesh, of the flesh also shall reap corruption. But he that soweth in the spirit, of the spirit shall reap life everlasting” (Galatians 6:7-8). Corrupt politics―politics that have corrupted the Laws of God―need God’s medication, or, in the worst case scenario, God’s surgery and amputation. Our Lord warns: “Amen I say to you, that all sins shall be forgiven unto the sons of men, and the blasphemies wherewith they shall blaspheme! But he that shall blaspheme against the Holy Ghost, shall never have forgiveness, but shall be guilty of an everlasting sin!” (Mark 3:28-29). “Therefore I say to you: Every sin and blasphemy shall be forgiven men―but the blasphemy of the Spirit shall not be forgiven. And whosoever shall speak a word against the Son of man―it shall be forgiven him. But he that shall speak against the Holy Ghost, it shall not be forgiven him―neither in this world, nor in the world to come!” (Matthew 12:21-32). St. Thomas Aquinas, in the Summa Theologica (IIa-IIae, q. 14), commenting upon this sin of “blaspheming against the Holy Ghost” or “blasphemy of the Spirit”, says that this kind of sin is essentially the sin of malice that resists known truth for the sake of deliberately and stubbornly remaining in sin―which, in a certain sense, you could say applies to the politics of today. St. Thomas writes: “The Master, Peter Lombard, says (in Sent. ii, D, 43) that ‘to sin against the Holy Ghost is to take pleasure in the malice of sin for its own sake.’ Now this is to sin through certain malice. Therefore it seems that the sin committed through certain malice is the same as the sin against the Holy Ghost. I answer that, three meanings have been given to the sin against the Holy Ghost. For the earlier doctors, namely St. Athanasius, St. Hilary, St. Ambrose, St. Jerome, and St. John Chrysostom say that the sin against the Holy Ghost is literally to utter a blasphemy against the Holy Spirit. St. Augustine, however, says that blasphemy or the sin against the Holy Ghost, is final impenitence―when a man perseveres in mortal sin until death. St. Augustine says that ‘so great is the downfall of this sin, that it cannot submit to the humiliation of asking for pardon.’ “But others understand it differently, and say that the sin of blasphemy against the Holy Ghost, is a sin committed … through certain malice, i.e. through the very choosing of evil, it is a sin ‘against the Holy Ghost.’ Now this may happen in two ways. First by reason of the very inclination of a vicious habit which we call malice, and, in this way, to sin through malice is not the same as to sin against the Holy Ghost. On another way it happens that by reason of contempt, that which might have prevented the choosing of evil, is rejected or removed; thus hope is removed by despair, and fear by presumption, and so on, as we shall explain further on (Q 20,21) ... In this sense, to sin through malice is to sin against the Holy Ghost ... According to the various interpretations of the sin against the Holy Ghost, there are various ways in which it may be said that it cannot be forgiven. For if by the sin against the Holy Ghost we understand final impenitence, it is said to be unpardonable, since in no way is it pardoned: because the mortal sin wherein a man perseveres until death will not be forgiven in the life to come, since it was not remitted by repentance in this life.” (St. Thomas Aquinas, Summa Theologica, IIa-IIae, q. 14). As stated by God through His prophet Ezechiel (see above), God is willing to forgive if man is willing to change and repair for his sins. It requires a change of heart, a change of mind, a change of behavior―whereby evil is judged as being evil; renounced as being evil; and abandoned for being evil. That would be the reaction of someone moved by the truth of God―the “Spirit of Truth, Whom the world cannot receive, because it seeth Him not, nor knoweth Him” (John 14:17). The sins of modern politics are increasingly seen to be sins of malice―meaning that they love evil for evil’s sake and they resist the truth for the sake of remaining in that evil. If they stubbornly and obstinately remain in this mindset, then God has no choice but to abandon His medications (words of warning) and opt for amputation (destruction of certain elements and persons within this world)―all of which has been the diagnosis and prognosis offered by the Blessed Virgin Mary for a long time now. Politics CAN be cured―but WILL IT be cured? Has politics committed a “blasphemy against the Holy Ghost” ― the “Spirit of Truth” ― and knowingly, deliberately, willingly and obstinately refused the truths and laws of God in order to “be like unto gods” themselves and go down a path that inevitably leads to the pit of perdition―dragging with them all their willing followers. Article 18
Does the Devil Win with both Candidates, or God? Whichever candidate wins, the citizens lose! Harris and Trump ― Who Are They?
Both presidential candidates have been labeled many things throughout the presidential election campaign―and even before that! One has to ask: “If WYSIWYG?” ― in other words, “If what you see is what you get?” Politics is traditionally and cynically a theatrical game―a game of pretense, a game of lies, false promises and two-facedness. Which is really the perfect description of a Liberal―and, let’s face it, both Trump and Harris are mega-Liberals. Catholics, who have given up all hope of one day seeing America converted to the Catholic Faith (or never even desired it in the first place), all too readily climb into bed with Liberalism with the excuse that is the lesser of the many other evils out there. In his book, Liberalism Is A Sin, Fr. Salvany paints the following picture of a Liberal: “Liberalism is a world complete in itself … It is the world of Lucifer, disguised in our times under the name of Liberalism … It now soothes and flatters; now hates and curses, now threatens and now praises. But it is most dangerous when it comes to us under the form of “liberality” [generosity]. It is especially powerful for seduction in this guise … Liberalism―whether doctrinal or practical―is a sin … it virtually transgresses all commandments … Liberalism strikes at the very foundations of Faith … It is the declaration of … the absolute independence of the individual and the social reason, [In other words, the opinion of society, or a group, or an individual, takes precedence over Church teaching]. In short it sets itself up as the measure and rule of Faith … It denies everything which it itself does not proclaim. It negates everything which it itself does not affirm. Charity is primarily the love of God, secondarily the love of our neighbor for God’s sake. To sacrifice the first is to abandon the latter. Therefore, to offend our neighbor for the love of God is a true act of charity. Not to offend our neighbor for the love of God is a sin. Modern Liberalism reverses this order; it imposes a false notion of charity: our neighbor first, and, if at all, God afterwards … Such is the general negation uttered by Liberalism … Hence we find Liberalism laying down as the basis of its propaganda the following principles: (1) The absolute sovereignty of the individual in his entire independence of God and God’s authority. (2) The absolute sovereignty of society in its entire independence of everything which does not proceed from itself. (3) Absolute civil sovereignty in the implied right of the people to make their own laws in entire independence and utter disregard of any other criterion than the popular will expressed at the polls and in parliamentary majorities. (4) Absolute freedom of thought in politics, morals, or in religion. The unrestrained liberty of the press. “Liberalism, in the order of action, is license; recognizing no principle or rule beyond itself … Liberalism … presents itself in various degrees or shades … We, therefore, as a rule, see the good only half good and the bad not altogether bad. Hence we find few out and out Liberals. Not many go the full length of their principles. They are nevertheless true Liberals … followers of Liberalism … Its disguises are many, its degrees various. However, it is the same evil … Liberalism is one, while Liberals, like bad wine, differ in color and taste … The Catholic Liberalist or the Liberal Catholic … throws open the gates to the enemies of the Faith, and, posing as a man of intellect with generous and liberal views … is thus both a traitor and a fool. Seeking to please the enemies of the Faith he has betrayed the Faith itself … he surrenders it to … the spirit of untruth … “That anomaly called Liberal Catholicism … takes its root in a false conception … of the act of Faith. The Liberal Catholic assumes … the individual judgment is the rule of Faith. He believes in the independence of reason. It is true he accepts the Magisterium of the Church, yet he does not accept it as the sole authorized expounder of divine truth. He reserves, as a coefficient factor in the determination of that truth, his own private judgment … The Liberal Catholic calls himself a Catholic because he firmly believes Catholicity to be the veritable revelation of the Son of God; he calls himself a Liberal Catholic because he believes that no one can impose upon him any belief which his individual judgment does not measure as perfectly rational. What is not rational he rejects; he is intellectually free to accept or reject. What appears good he assents to, but he is intellectually bound to no one. He falls an easy victim to the snare set by the devil for the intellectually proud … As a consequence, he is really not Christian, but pagan. He has no real supernatural Faith, but only a simple human conviction ... They have a horror of any coercive element in matters of Faith; any chastisement of error shocks their tender susceptibilities, and they detest any … intolerance. The Syllabus of Errors … is a nightmare to them, a most dominating, harsh … document, calculated to offend the sensibilities … of the modern world … and, if accepted, must be taken in a very modified sense. The [conservative] interpretation to him is violent and extreme, and does much more harm than good … Close upon this squeamishness … follows an abhorrence of antagonizing the convictions of others … Liberal Catholics ... erect into a dogma what is called the principle of toleration … “Amongst Catholic Liberals, many go to Mass, even make novenas, and yet when they come into contact with the world, they lead the lives of practical Liberals. They make it a rule “to live up to the times” as they call it. They believe the Church to be out-of-date, an old fogy, held back by conservatives, but they have hopes that she will catch up with the modern spirit of progress. Then will a new theology be developed, more in conformity with the needs of the times, more in harmony with the modern spirit. They are less excusable than those Liberals who have never been within the pale of the Church. In short they sin with their eyes open.” Liberalism Leads to Tyranny The equal freedom that is promoted by Liberalism is an open-ended standard that makes unlimited demands when taken seriously. For example, it views non-Liberal standards as oppressive, because they limit equal freedom. Liberal government wants to protect us from oppression, so it tries to get rid of those non-Liberal standards from more and more areas of life. Such an attempt puts Liberal government at odds with natural, God-given, human tendencies. If the way someone acts seems odd or immoral to me, and I look at him strangely, that creates the anti-social, prejudiced world he is forced to live in. He will find that oppressive. Liberal government cannot accept that, so it eventually feels compelled to supervise all our attitudes about how people live and how we express those attitudes―seeking to remove all judgmentalism, remove all religious bias, remove all moral measurement from them―so that they are “toothless”, non-judging, all accepting attitudes that are pleasing to everyone―whether those people be good people or evil people. Everyone can do as they want, and we have no right to judge them. The end result is a comprehensive system of control over all human relations run by an expert elite―that is responsible only to itself. That, of course, is tyranny. You can show that tyranny with a smile, or you can show it with a fist―but tyranny it is. We are, right now, seeing the Liberal tyranny in action throughout the world―as tyrannical Liberalism is morphing into tyrannical Socialism or whatever other name you want to give it―Totalitarianism, Communism, Authoritarianism, Police-State, etc. Liberalism is progressive, though, so its demands keep growing. It eventually rejects all traditional ways as illiberal and becomes more and more radical. You can see this tyrannical Liberalism― aggressively morphing into Socialism et al―in Britain and Canada, as well as on the European continent. The United States used to be still somewhat of an exception many decades ago, but over the last couple of decades, aggressive forms of tyrannical Liberalism have gained ground rapidly. It captured many academics, the elite bar and the media years ago, and it is rapidly gaining ground among the people. Today―over 50% of Millennials (ages 20 to 35) are in favor of Socialism. Political Parties Are For the Gullible Today, many parents place their children in front of the TV screen when they want to preoccupy the children so that the parents are free to do something else. That is exactly what has happened to politics throughout the world as Elitists and Globalists have slowly, relentlessly, increasingly and universally gained power, influence and control over the key positions of authority and power throughout the world. The Globalist Henry Kissinger put in succinctly when he said: “Control oil and you control nations―control food and you control the people.” There are many different ways of controlling nations and people. The best form of government is being ruled by God and his representatives on Earth―we call this a THEOCRACY. We also to speak of a MONARCHY (a king ruling the people). Another form of rule is by an ARISTOCRACY (where power rests with the nobility, such as princes, lords, dukes, etc.). You can also have rule by an OLIGARCHY (power rests with a small number of people―it could royalty, the wealthy, large extended family, the well educated, corporations, by military control or by a mixture of them). More common and popular in modern times is a DEMOCRACY (in which power rests with the people and all citizens are able to rule). A recent ruling class is TECHNOCRACY (where power rests with experts in technology―scientists, engineers and technologists who have knowledge, expertise, or skills). As you can clearly see―especially if you know you history as well as Bible history―there is a progressive descent over time from power being in the hands of God (theocracy) as in the history of the Chosen People until the time that they no longer wanted God to rule over them and demanded a king (monarchy), which God gave them in the person of King Saul. Rebellion breeds rebellion―and thus this gradually degenerated universally over thousands of years whereby princes, lords, dukes (aristocracy) rebelled against the power of the king and took increasing powers unto themselves. Rebellion breeds rebellion―and thus eventually the rich people, who were not aristocracy, increasingly took away power from the aristocracy and empowered themselves, which saw the rise of the middle classes and elite classes, such as bankers, merchants, landowners, etc. Rebellion breeds rebellion―and the next step saw the lower classes vying for power and creating what we now call a democracy (which literally means “rule by the people”). With the advent of modern electronic technology, we have now seen a rise in the power and influence of scientists, engineers and technologists, which has given rise to rule by these “technocrats” in what we call a “technocracy”. So, if you think politicians actually rule in the sense of “calling the shots”―then you are living in a political “Alice in Wonderland”, out of touch with reality. Politics No Longer Rules Technocracy is not a political system and it does not belong to or support either or any political side. It is an economic system based on technological control and digital surveillance. You can easily spot this during the current Con-all-a-virus Plannedemic―where you have government officials, local governors, even bishops and priests telling us to “Follow the Science!” Science (or technology) is the new god that must be believed, adored and obeyed. Yet much of that science is lying to us as much as the politicians lied and still lie to us. For the longest time, politics―and now recently science―has tried to usurp and replace God as the ultimate authority. As Our Lord warned: “Beware of false prophets, who come to you in the clothing of sheep, but inwardly they are ravening wolves. By their fruits you shall know them. Do men gather grapes of thorns, or figs of thistles? Even so every good tree bringeth forth good fruit, and the evil tree bringeth forth evil fruit. A good tree cannot bring forth evil fruit, neither can an evil tree bring forth good fruit. Every tree that bringeth not forth good fruit, shall be cut down, and shall be cast into the fire. Wherefore by their fruits you shall know them!” (Matthew 7:15-20). Only a fool can fail to see the that politics and science―like wolves in sheep’s clothing―have regularly and increased produced evil fruits―just look at some of the sinful legislation in politics and the immoral experiments and methods of science! Article 17
A Tale of Two Cities? A Tale of Two Parties? Or is it? “Those who do not learn from history are doomed to repeat it.” (George Santayana).
Past presidents of the United States and other high profile political leaders have repeatedly issued warnings over the last 214 years that the U.S. government is under the control of an “invisible government owing no allegiance and acknowledging no responsibility to the people.” According to six of our former presidents, one vice-president, and a myriad of other high profile political leaders, an invisible government that is “incredibly evil in intent” has been in control of the U.S. government “ever since the days of Andrew Jackson” (since at least 1836). They “virtually run the United States government for their own selfish purposes. They practically control both parties … It operates under cover of a self-created screen [and] seizes our executive officers, legislative bodies, schools, courts, newspapers and every agency created for the public protection.” As a result, “we have come to be one of the worst ruled, one of the most completely controlled and dominated, governments in the civilized world—no longer a government by free opinion, no longer a government by conviction and the vote of the majority, but a government by the opinion and the duress of small groups of dominant men.” The sources for the above quotes (and more) are listed below. All of the quotes in this article have been verified as authentic and have associated links to the source materials. Also included below are statements made by David Rockefeller Sr., former director of the Council on Foreign Relations (CFR), and Federal Reserve Chairman’s Alan Greenspan and Ben Bernanke that appear to confirm some of the warnings. Warnings About the Invisible Government Running the U.S. The warnings listed below, which appear in chronological order, began with the first U.S. president ― George Washington. The last president to speak out was John F. Kennedy, who was assassinated. Read what they and other political leaders have said about the invisible government. ► GEORGE WASHINGTON wrote that the Illuminati want to separate the People from their Government: “It was not my intention to doubt that the Doctrines of the Illuminati and principles of Jacobinism had not spread in the United States. On the contrary, no one is more truly satisfied of this fact than I am. The idea, that I meant to convey, was that I did not believe that the Lodges of Free Masons in this Country had, as Societies, endeavored to propagate the diabolical tenets of the first, or pernicious principles of the latter (if they are susceptible of separation). That Individuals of them may … actually had a separation of the People from their Government in view, is too evident to be questioned.” (George Washington, 1st President of the United States (1789―1797), from a letter that Washington wrote on October 24th, 1798, which can be found in the Library of Congress. For an analysis of Washington’s warning, see the article “Library of Congress: George Washington Warns of Illuminati”). ► THOMAS JEFFERSON wrote: “I sincerely believe, with you, that banking establishments are more dangerous than standing armies.” (Thomas Jefferson, 3rd President of the United States (1801―1809) and principal author of the United States Declaration of Independence (1776), in a letter written to John Taylor on May 28th, 1816). ► JOHN C. CALHOUN stated: “A power has risen up in the government greater than the people themselves, consisting of many and various powerful interests, combined in one mass, and held together by the cohesive power of the vast surplus in banks.” (John C. Calhoun, Vice President (1825-1832) and U.S. Senator, from a speech given on May 27th, 1836). Note that it appears that Washington’s and Jefferson’s concerns regarding bankers and separation of the people from the government was realized by 1836. This fact was confirmed in a letter written by Franklyn D. Roosevelt in 1933 (see below) in which he wrote that “a financial element in the large centers has owned the government ever since the days of Andrew Jackson.” Jackson was the seventh president of the United States (1829-1837). Calhoun served as Jackson’s vice-president from 1829-1832. ► THEODORE ROOSEVELT said: “Behind the ostensible government sits enthroned an invisible government owing no allegiance and acknowledging no responsibility to the people. To destroy this invisible government, to befoul the unholy alliance between corrupt business and corrupt politics is the first task of the statesmanship of the day.” (Theodore Roosevelt, 26th President of the United States, Theodore Roosevelt, An Autobiography, 1913, Appendix B). ► WOODROW WILSON said: “A great industrial nation is controlled by its system of credit. Our system of credit is privately concentrated. The growth of the nation, therefore, and all our activities are in the hands of a few men … [W]e have come to be one of the worst ruled, one of the most completely controlled and dominated, governments in the civilized world—no longer a government by free opinion, no longer a government by conviction and the vote of the majority, but a government by the opinion and the duress of small groups of dominant men.” (Woodrow Wilson, 28th President of the United States, The New Freedom, 1913). ► WOODROW WILSON also said: “Since I entered politics, I have chiefly had men’s views confided to me privately. Some of the biggest men in the United States, in the field of commerce and manufacture, are afraid of something. They know that there is a power somewhere so organized, so subtle, so watchful, so interlocked, so complete, so pervasive, that they had better not speak above their breath when they speak in condemnation of it.” (Woodrow Wilson, 28th President of the United States, The New Freedom, 1913). ► NEW YORK CITY MAYOR JOHN F. HYLAN stated: “The real menace of our Republic is the invisible government, which like a giant octopus sprawls its slimy legs over our cities, states and nation… The little coterie of powerful international bankers virtually run the United States government for their own selfish purposes. They practically control both parties, … and control the majority of the newspapers and magazines in this country. They use the columns of these papers to club into submission or drive out of office public officials who refuse to do the bidding of the powerful corrupt cliques which compose the invisible government. It operates under cover of a self-created screen [and] seizes our executive officers, legislative bodies, schools, courts, newspapers and every agency created for the public protection.” (New York City Mayor John F. Hylan, New York Times, March 26th, 1922). ► CONGRESSMAN LOUIS T. MCFADDEN said: “Mr. Chairman, we have in this country one of the most corrupt institutions the world has ever known. I refer to the Federal Reserve Board and the Federal Reserve Banks. The Federal Reserve Board, a Government board, has cheated the Government of the United States and the people of the United States out of enough money to pay the national debt…Mr. Chairman, when the Federal Reserve act was passed, the people of the United States did not perceive that a world system was being set up here… and that this country was to supply financial power to an international superstate — a superstate controlled by international bankers and international industrialists acting together to enslave the world for their own pleasure.” (Congressman Louis T. McFadden, from a speech delivered to the House of Representatives on June 10th, 1932). ► FRANKLIN DELANO ROOSEVELT stated: “The real truth of the matter is―as you and I know―that a financial element, in the large centers, has owned the government ever since the days of Andrew Jackson.” (Franklin Delano Roosevelt, 32nd President of the United States (1933―1945), in a letter to Colonel Edward M. House, dated November 21st, 1933, as quoted in F.D.R. ― His Personal Letters, 1928-1945). ► SENATOR WILLIAM JENNER said: “Today the path to total dictatorship in the U.S. can be laid by strictly legal means … We have a well-organized political-action group in this country, determined to destroy our Constitution and establish a one-party state … It operates secretly, silently, continuously to transform our Government … This ruthless power-seeking elite is a disease of our century… This group…is answerable neither to the President, the Congress, nor the courts. It is practically irremovable.” (Senator William Jenner, 1954 speech). ► J. EDGAR HOOVER stated: “The individual is handicapped by coming face-to-face with a conspiracy so monstrous, he cannot believe it exists. The American mind simply has not come to a realization of the evil which has been introduced into our midst. It rejects even the assumption that human creatures could espouse a philosophy which must ultimately destroy all that is good and decent.” (J. Edgar Hoover, The Elks Magazine, 1956). ► PRESIDENT JOHN F. KENNEDY said: “The very word “secrecy” is repugnant in a free and open society; and we are, as a people, inherently and historically opposed to secret societies, to secret oaths and to secret proceedings … Our way of life is under attack. Those who make themselves our enemy are advancing around the globe … No war ever posed a greater threat to our security. If you are awaiting a finding of “clear and present danger,” then I can only say that the danger has never been more clear and its presence has never been more imminent … For we are opposed around the world by a monolithic and ruthless conspiracy, that relies primarily on covert means for expanding its sphere of influence―on infiltration instead of invasion, on subversion instead of elections, on intimidation instead of free choice, on guerrillas by night instead of armies by day. It is a system which has conscripted vast human and material resources, into the building of a tightly knit, highly efficient machine, that combines military, diplomatic, intelligence, economic, scientific and political operations. Its preparations are concealed, not published. Its mistakes are buried, not headlined. Its dissenters are silenced, not praised. No expenditure is questioned, no rumor is printed, no secret is revealed.” (John F. Kennedy, 35th President of the United States, from a speech delivered to the American Newspaper Publishers Association on April 27th, 1961 and known as the “Secret Society” speech). ► CONGRESSMAN LARRY P. MCDONALD stated: “The Rockefellers and their allies have, for at least fifty years, been carefully following a plan to use their economic power to gain political control of first America, and then the rest of the world. Do I mean conspiracy? Yes, I do. I am convinced there is such a plot, international in scope, generations old in planning, and incredibly evil in intent.” (Congressman Larry P. McDonald, November 1975, from the introduction to a book titled The Rockefeller File). ► SENATOR DANIEL K. INOUYE said: “There exists a shadowy government with its own Air Force, its own Navy, its own fundraising mechanism, and the ability to pursue its own ideas of national interest, free from all checks and balances, and free from the law itself.” (Daniel K. Inouye, US Senator from Hawaii, testimony at the Iran Contra Hearings, 1986). The Federal Reserve “A power has risen up in the government greater than the people themselves…” (John C. Calhoun). “… owing no allegiance and acknowledging no responsibility to the people.” (Theodore Roosevelt). “… one of the most corrupt institutions the world has ever known. I refer to the Federal Reserve Board and the Federal Reserve Bank.” (Louis T. McFadden). In an interview with Jim Lehrer that was aired on PBS’ News Hour, on September 18th, 2007, that you can watch on YouTube, formal Federal Reserve Chairman Alan Greenspan said, essentially, that the Federal Reserve was above the law and that no agency of government can overrule their actions: Jim Lehrer: “What is the proper relationship, what should be the proper relationship between a chairman of the Fed [Federal Reserve] and a president of the United States?” Alan Greenspan: “Well, first of all, the Federal Reserve is an independent agency, and that means, basically, that there is no other agency of government which can overrule actions that we take. So long as that is in place and there is no evidence that the administration, or the Congress, or anybody else, is requesting that we do things other than what we think is the appropriate thing, then what the relationships are don’t frankly matter.” The fact that the Federal Reserve is above the law was demonstrated by current Federal Reserve chairman, Ben Bernanke, during his appearance before Congress on March 4th, 2009. Senator Bernie Sanders asked Bernanke about $2.2 trillion in American tax dollars that was lent out by Federal Reserve. Bernanke refused to provide an answer: Senator Sanders: “Will you tell the American people to whom you lent $2.2 trillion of their dollars? … Can you tell us who they are?” Bernanke: “No” David Rockefeller and the Council on Foreign Relations (CFR) “We have a well-organized political-action group in this country, determined to destroy our Constitution and establish a one-party state…” (William Jenner). “The Rockefellers and their allies have, for at least fifty years, been carefully following a plan to use their economic power to gain political control of first America, and then the rest of the world.” (Larry P. McDonald). In 1921 the stockholders of the Federal Reserve financed an organization called the “Council on Foreign Relations” (CFR). A full discussion on the CFR is beyond the scope of this article. Suffice it to say that the CFR likely plays a prominent role in the invisible government that we have been warned about. The CFR is alleged to be the arm of the Ruling Elite in the United States. Most influential politicians, academics and media personalities are members. The CFR uses its influence to push their New World Order agenda on the American people. David Rockefeller, Sr. is the current patriarch of the Rockefeller family. He is the only surviving grandchild of oil tycoon John D. Rockefeller, founder of Standard Oil. Rockefeller began a lifelong association with the CFR [Council on Foreign Relations] when he joined as a director in 1949. In Rockefeller’s 2002 autobiography Memoirs, he wrote: “For more than a century ideological extremists at either end of the political spectrum have seized upon well-publicized incidents such as my encounter with Castro to attack the Rockefeller family for the inordinate influence they claim we wield over American political and economic institutions. Some even believe we are part of a secret cabal working against the best interests of the United States, characterizing my family and me as internationalists and of conspiring with others around the world to build a more integrated global political and economic structure — one world, if you will. If that’s the charge, I stand guilty, and I am proud of it.” James Warburg, son of CFR [Council on Foreign Relations] founder Paul Warburg, delivered blunt testimony before the Senate Foreign Relations Committee on February 17th, 1950: “We shall have world government, whether or not we like it. The question is only whether world government will be achieved by consent or by conquest.” Cognitive Dissonance “The American mind simply has not come to a realization of the evil which has been introduced into our midst. It rejects even the assumption that human creatures could espouse a philosophy which must ultimately destroy all that is good and decent.” (J. Edgar Hoover). Because of a deep rooted beliefs that the U.S. government is “for the people” and the protector of the free world, many will reject the notion of an evil shadow government. When our beliefs are challenged or when two beliefs are inconsistent, cognitive dissonance is created. It’s human nature to try to hold our beliefs in harmony with our world view and avoid disharmony (or dissonance). Article 16
Will God Bless a Hypocritically Murderous America? The issue of abortion is no small issue in the upcoming Presidential Election. Abortion is one of the most discussed issues in the 2024 election. However, the hypocrisy of modern day America prefers to use the euphemism “women’s reproductive rights” and hypocritically speaks of women having a right to control their own fertility and exercise reproductive autonomy. A euphemism is a word or phrase that is used to replace one that is considered unpleasant, offensive, or taboo. Euphemisms are often used to soften an uncomfortable topic or to downplay a concept. The bottom line behind the euphemism “women’s reproductive rights” is plainly and simply demanding the right “to butcher my baby if I want to!”
When the U.S. Supreme Court struck down Roe v. Wade in 2022, ending the constitutional guarantee for abortion access, the court left it up to individual states to decide on regulations. Since then, 14 states have ceased nearly all abortion services and four states have enacted six-week bans, according to an ABC News tally. At the same time, some other states have moved to enshrine abortion rights. While Republicans have called for a range of restrictions on abortion, Democrats have said they support abortion access. After Roe was struck down, KAMALA HARRIS led the Biden administration's charge to protect reproductive rights. She toured the country advocating for abortion access, including a first-of-its-kind visit to an abortion clinic for any vice president. Harris has called on Congress to pass a law restoring protections to the right to abortion that were guaranteed by Roe, saying she would “proudly” sign it if it came to her desk. When announcing her running mate, Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz, she praised his state for being the first in the country to pass a law codifying abortion rights after Roe was overruled. She has been critical of abortion restrictions passed by Republican-led states in recent years and has tied the fall of Roe to Trump after he appointed three Supreme Court justices to the court who supported overruling the landmark abortion decision. DONALD TRUMP previously touted his support for abortion restrictions and his role in nominating three conservative Supreme Court justices, all of whom helped overrule Roe in a 5-4 vote. Throughout this campaign, however, Trump has shifted his stance on some issues. Trump now says abortion should be a rights issue for each individual state and rejects Republican calls to endorse a national abortion ban, after previously urging some level of restriction at the federal level in his tenure as president. He declared that under his administration, the government or company insurance would be mandated to pay for all costs associated with in vitro fertilization or IVF. He did not give specifics on how the plan would work or be funded. Currently, most of America, like the rest of the world, is childless in a certain sense―for they are killing babies frequently through abortion. Worldwide, over 50 million babies are killed annually through abortion―and that is ONLY THE REPORTED NUMBER―the actual number is higher than that. In America, over the last 10 years, the numbers of babies killed by abortion fluctuates from the 600,000s into the 700,000s―the record numbers were during the 20-year span from 1978 to 1997, when over 1 million babies were killed each year in the USA. So, yes, America is a little like the childless couple in Rome who received the dream from Our Lady―for in the modern day “childless” America regularly had 1 million children less each year than they should have had. This “childless” phenomenon was increased and exacerbated by the contraceptive mentality―both in America and the world at large. This regular prevention of the conception of children made America and the world even more childless. Such a “childless” world and a “childless” America betrays a godless world and a godless America. Though there are many references to God in the political sphere― “God bless America” sings the American patriotic song written by Irving Berlin during World War I in 1918. “In God we trust” is the official motto of the United States of America and of the U.S. state of Florida―it was adopted by the U.S. Congress in 1956. The Declaration of Independence speaks of “a firm reliance on the protection of Divine Providence” while “appealing to the Supreme Judge of the world for the rectitude of our intentions” also affirming that there are “the Laws of Nature and of Nature’s God” ― which today they increasingly ignore, reject or even change. The Declaration of Independence goes on to speak of the people being “endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable rights” ― which today are being severely curtailed or even removed. Another phrase, “All aspects of our lives, spiritual and political, are in God’s hands”, today sounds so hypocritical―because nothing could be further from the truth, because the Laws of God and counsels of Scripture are ignored, while the government of men usurp all control from God and introduce their own sinful laws to replace the Commandments, Laws and counsels of God. Our Lord’s words are very applicable in these godless days: “This people honoureth Me with their lips―but their heart is far from Me! And in vain do they worship Me, teaching doctrines and commandments of men!” (Matthew 15:8-9). The very defects or tyrannical characteristics that the Declaration of Independence condemned in the person of King George III of England, we now see the present day government doing what was condemned back then. The Declaration said of King George III: “He has combined with others to subject us to a jurisdiction foreign to our constitution and unacknowledged by our laws, giving his assent to their acts of pretended legislation: ► For quartering large bodies of armed troops among us; ► For protecting them, by a mock trial, from punishment for any murders which they should commit on the inhabitants of these states; ► For cutting off our trade with all parts of the world; ► For imposing taxes on us without our consent; ► For depriving us, in many cases, of the benefits of trial by jury; ► For transporting us beyond seas to be tried for pretended offenses; ► For abolishing the free system of English laws in a neighboring province, establishing therein an arbitrary government, and enlarging its boundaries so as to render it at once an example and fit instrument for introducing the same absolute rule into these colonies; ► For taking away our charters, abolishing our most valuable laws, and altering fundamentally the forms of our governments; ► For suspending our own legislatures, and declaring themselves invested with power to legislate for us in all cases whatsoever.” Today many of those condemned policies are being practiced by America’s modern day government―and they have exceeded the tyranny on many points. You could not find a truer statement of the current state of world and American politics than these words of God from Holy Scripture: “The Lord hath looked down from Heaven upon the children of men, to see if there be any that understand and seek God. They are all gone aside, they are become unprofitable together: there is none that does good―no, not one! They are corrupt, and are become abominable in their ways! There is none that does good―no, not one! Their throat is an open sepulcher! With their tongues they acted deceitfully―the poison of asps is under their lips! Their mouth is full of cursing and bitterness; their feet are swift to shed blood. Destruction and unhappiness in their ways: and the way of peace they have not known! There is no fear of God before their eyes. They have not called upon the Lord! There have they trembled for fear, where there was no fear!” (Psalm 13:1-5). “The Gentiles raged, and the people devised vain things. The kings of the Earth stood up, and the princes met together, against the Lord and against His Christ, [saying] ‘Let us break their bonds asunder! And let us cast away Their yoke from us!’ He that dwells in Heaven shall laugh at them; and the Lord shall deride them! Then shall He speak to them in His anger, and trouble them in His rage!” (Psalm 2:1-5). As Our Lady warned on several occasions: “From the end of the 19th century and especially in the 20th century, the passions will erupt and there will be a total corruption of morals, for Satan will reign almost completely by means of the Masonic sects ... During this epoch the Church will find herself attacked by terrible assaults from the Masonic sect … These years, during which the evil sect of Masonry will take control of the civil government, will see a cruel persecution of all religious communities … All the civil governments will have one and the same plan, which will be to abolish and do away with every religious principle, to make way for materialism, atheism, spiritualism and vice of all kinds. They will abolish civil rights, as well as ecclesiastical rights. All order and all justice will be trampled underfoot and only homicides, hate, jealousy, lies and dissension will be seen, without love for country or family ... They will focus particularly on the children, in order to achieve this general corruption. Woe to the children of these times!” It is for this reason that we must not place our primary trust in mere men―and corrupt men at that―but we must place our trust in God, with whom nothing is impossible. “Hope in the Name of the Lord, and lean upon God!” (Isaias 50:10). “Blessed is he who has God for his helper, whose hope is in the Lord his God!” (Psalm 145:5). “God has not forsaken them that hope in Him!” (Judith 13:17). “Our help is in the Name of the Lord―Who made Heaven and Earth!” (Psalm 123:8). “Our God is in Heaven―He hath done all things whatsoever He would” (Psalm 113:11). “In God is my salvation and my glory! He is the God of my help―and my hope is in God!” (Psalm 61:8). “It is good for me to adhere to my God, to put my hope in the Lord God!” (Psalm 72:28). “Put not your trust in princes [human actions and human interventions] (Psalm 145:2). “Some trust in chariots, and some in horses―but we will call upon the Name of the Lord our God!” (Psalms 19:8). “I will not trust in my bow, neither shall my sword save me!” (Psalm 43:7). “He that holds the bow shall not stand; and the swift of foot shall not escape; neither shall the rider of the horse save his life!” (Amos 2:15). “It is good to trust in the Lord, rather than to trust in princes! [presidents, politicians, money-men, etc.]” (Psalms 117:9). Article 15
Politics and the Antichrist Could You Call Politics “Antichrist”?
If you look over the list of proven corrupt politicians and judges in the United States, over the last 50 years (since 1970), you will find over 400 names listed. You can reasonably assume that for every one who is “caught”, there are quite a few more who manage to “pass under the radar” and escape detection. In a Gallup poll, 75% of American respondents said that corruption was “widespread” in the country’s government. Nevertheless, is it not a gross exaggeration to label politics as being “Antichrist”? Surely that is going overboard! Or is it? ► Christ Himself said: “He that is not with Me, is against Me!” (Matthew 12:30) and being against Christ is anti-Christ, is it not? Today’s politics is certainly not with Christ, but largely against Christ in much of its policies and laws. Is abortion, contraception, same-sex marriage, divorce and remarriage, homosexuality, transgenderism, etc. according to the mind of Christ and the laws of God? Of course not! It is totally opposed to them! Hence it is anti-Christ. ► Furthermore, since Christ is the truth―“I am the truth” (John 14:6)―and since politics is filled with so many lies, deceits, misrepresentations, misinformation, exaggerations and twisted half-truths―it therefore stands to reason, as anyone with common sense can see, that the preferred path of politics is the path of untruths or lies, which diametrically opposes the way of truth, which is the way of Christ―hence it is anti-Christ. ► Furthermore, when you look at the hatred, animosity, vitriol, anger and character assassination that takes place in politics, anyone with common sense can see that this opposes God, who is Charity itself: “God is charity” (1 John 4:8). Christ even said: “By this shall all men know that you are My disciples, if you have love one for another” (John 13:35)―to which Holy Scripture adds: “If any man say: ‘I love God!’ and hates his brother―then he is a liar! For he that does not love his brother whom he sees, how can he love God Whom he sees not?” (1 John 4:20). Hence all this hatred, animosity, vitriol, anger and character assassination is anti-Christ. ► Furthermore, politics has become so accusatory and unforgiving, with one political party accusing the other and showing a total lack of mercy in the process―whereas Christ said: “With what judgment you judge, you shall be judged: and with what measure you give to others, it shall be measured to you again! Why seest thou the splinter that is in thy brother’s eye; and seest not the plank that is in thy own eye? Or how sayest thou to thy brother: ‘Let me cast the splinter out of thy eye!’ and behold a plank is in thy own eye? Thou hypocrite! Cast out first the plank in thy own eye, and then shalt thou see to cast out the splinter out of thy brother’s eye!” (Matthew 7:2-5). “For if you will forgive men their offences, your heavenly Father will forgive you also your offences. But if you will not forgive men, neither will your Father forgive you your offences!” (Matthew 6:14-15). All these merciless political accusations and muck-raking are not according to the mind of Christ and are thus anti-Christ. Archbishop Fulton Sheen put things into perspective when he once said, “[Satan’s] logic is simple: if there is no Heaven there is no Hell; if there is no Hell, then there is no sin; if there is no sin, then there is no judge, and if there is no judgment, then evil is good and good is evil.” That logic epitomizes the logic of many politicians today. It is not for nothing that Our Lady of Good Success and La Salette warned: “From the end of the 19th century and especially in the 20th century, the passions will erupt and there will be a total corruption of morals, for Satan will reign almost completely by means of the Masonic sects … During this epoch the Church will find herself attacked by terrible assaults from the Masonic sect … These years, during which the evil sect of Masonry will take control of the civil government, will see a cruel persecution of all religious communities … All the civil governments will have one and the same plan, which will be to abolish and do away with every religious principle, to make way for materialism, atheism, spiritualism and vice of all kinds. They will abolish civil rights, as well as ecclesiastical rights. All order and all justice will be trampled underfoot and only homicides, hate, jealousy, lies and dissension will be seen, without love for country or family ... They will focus particularly on the children, in order to achieve this general corruption.” For the last thirty years, the secularization of culture and the banishing of God from the public forum have created a great religious void. More and more Americans have been abandoning the practice of religion. Since 1990, the number of Americans who claim no religious affiliation has almost tripled from 8% to 29%. It would be foolish to close our eyes to the unmistakable increase of the devil’s activity in our society. Lack of civility. Hate speech. The tearing down of people’s good name. The bloodshed on our streets. The breakdown of family life. The widespread extolling of vices contrary to the Gospel. The delight in exposing the sins of others. Abuse in all its forms. Abortion. The persecution of the Church. All these are born of anger, hatred, envy, pride, greed and lust. They cause division and are the fingerprints of the Evil One. All of these vices are presented as something “good” and “acceptable”―which is an outright lie! “Woe to you that call evil good, and good evil: that put darkness for light, and light for darkness: that put bitter for sweet, and sweet for bitter” (Isaias 5:20). Yet that is what politics does! It is politic of untruth, a politic of deception, a politic of lies―which is ultimately a politic of Satan. Thus the words of Our Lord as just as applicable to modern-day politics as it was back in His time, when He said to the Scribes and Pharisees: “You are of your father the devil, and the desires of your father you will do! He was a murderer from the beginning, and he stood not in the truth―because truth is not in him! When he speaks a lie, he speaks of his own―for he is a liar, and the father of lies!” (John 8:44). Article 14
Would Christ Defeat Trump or Harris? Would Jesus defeat Trump and Harris? Tough question! Jesus once found Himself as a candidate in an election during His Passion―and He lost the vote! All the “Newspapers” of the day (the four Evangelists―Matthew, Mark, Luke and John―reported on Jesus’ election defeat, where the populace chose to vote for rebel and a murderer, rather than vote for Jesus!
THE MATTHEW MORNING NEWS reports: “Now upon the solemn day the governor was accustomed to release to the people one prisoner, whom they would. And he had then a notorious prisoner, that was called Barabbas. They therefore being gathered together, Pilate said: ‘Whom will you that I release to you, Barabbas, or Jesus that is called Christ?’ ― for he knew that for envy they had delivered Him. But the chief priests and ancients persuaded the people, that they should ask for Barabbas, and take Jesus away. And the governor answering, said to them: ‘Which of the two do you wish to be released unto you?’ But they said: ‘Barabbas!’ Pilate said to them: ‘What shall I do then with Jesus, that is called Christ?’ They all said: ‘Let Him be crucified!’ The governor said to them: ‘Why? What evil has He done?’ But they cried out the more, saying: ‘Let Him be crucified!’ And Pilate seeing that he prevailed nothing, but that rather a tumult was made; taking water washed his hands before the people, saying: ‘I am innocent of the blood of this just Man―look you to it!’ And the whole people answering, said: ‘His blood be upon us and our children!’ Then he released to them Barabbas, and having scourged Jesus, delivered Him unto them to be crucified” (Matthew 27:15-26). THE MARK MONITOR reports: “Now on the festival day he was wont to release unto them one of the prisoners, whomsoever they demanded. And there was one called Barabbas, who was put in prison with some seditious men, who in the sedition had committed murder. And when the multitude was come up, they began to desire that he would do, as he had ever done unto them. And Pilate answered them, and said: ‘Will you that I release to you the king of the Jews?’ For he knew that the chief priests had delivered Him up out of envy. But the chief priests moved the people, that he should rather release Barabbas to them. And Pilate again answering, said to them: ‘What will you then that I do to the king of the Jews?’ But they again cried out: ‘Crucify Him!’ And Pilate said to them: ‘Why! What evil has He done?’ But they cried out the more: ‘Crucify Him!’ And so Pilate, being willing to satisfy the people, released to them Barabbas, and delivered up Jesus, when he had scourged Him, to be crucified” (Mark 15:6-15). THE LUKE LEADER reports: “And Pilate, calling together the chief priests, and the magistrates, and the people, said to them: ‘You have presented unto me this Man, as one that perverts the people; and behold I, having examined Him before you, find no cause in this Man, in those things wherein you accuse Him! No―nor Herod neither! For I sent you to him, and behold, nothing worthy of death is done to Him! I will chastise Him therefore, and release Him!’ Now of necessity he was to release unto them one upon the feast day. But the whole multitude together cried out, saying: ‘Away with this Man, and release unto us Barabbas!’ ― who, for a certain sedition made in the city, and for a murder, was cast into prison. And Pilate again spoke to them, desiring to release Jesus. But they cried again, saying: ‘Crucify Him! Crucify Him!’ And he said to them the third time: ‘Why? What evil has this Man done? I find no cause of death in Him. I will chastise Him therefore, and let Him go!’ But they were instant with loud voices, requiring that He might be crucified―and their voices prevailed. And Pilate gave sentence that it should be as they required. And he released unto them him, who for murder and sedition, had been cast into prison, whom they had desired―but Jesus he delivered up to their will” (Luke 23:13-25). THE JOHN JOURNAL reports: “Pilate therefore went into the hall again, and called Jesus, and said to Him: ‘Art Thou the king of the Jews?’ Jesus answered: ‘Sayest thou this thing of thyself, or have others told it thee of Me?’ Pilate answered: ‘Am I a Jew? Thy own nation and the chief priests have delivered Thee up to me! What hast Thou done?’ Jesus answered: ‘My kingdom is not of this world. If My kingdom were of this world, My servants would certainly strive that I should not be delivered to the Jews―but now My kingdom is not from hence!’ Pilate therefore said to Him: ‘Art Thou a king then?’ Jesus answered: ‘Thou sayest that I am a king! For this was I born, and for this came I into the world; that I should give testimony to the truth. Every one that is of the truth, hears My voice!’ Pilate said to Him: ‘What is truth?’ And when he said this, he went out again to the Jews, and said to them: ‘I find no cause in Him! But you have a custom that I should release one unto you at the Pasch! Will you, therefore, that I release unto you the king of the Jews?’ Then cried they all again, saying: ‘Not this Man, but Barabbas!’ Now Barabbas was a robber. “Then therefore, Pilate took Jesus, and scourged Him. And the soldiers platting a crown of thorns, put it upon His head; and they put on Him a purple garment. And they came to Him, and said: ‘Hail, king of the Jews!’ and they gave Him blows. Pilate therefore went forth again, and said to them: ‘Behold, I bring Him forth unto you, that you may know that I find no cause in Him!’ Jesus therefore came forth, bearing the crown of thorns and the purple garment. And he said to them: ‘Behold the Man!’ When the chief priests, therefore, and the servants, had seen Him, they cried out, saying: ‘Crucify Him! Crucify Him!’ Pilate saith to them: ‘Take Him you and crucify Him―for I find no cause in Him!’ The Jews answered him: ‘We have a law; and according to the law He ought to die, because He made himself the Son of God!’ When Pilate therefore had heard this saying, he feared the more. “And he entered into the hall again, and he said to Jesus: ‘Whence art Thou?’ But Jesus gave him no answer. Pilate therefore saith to Him: ‘Speakest Thou not to me? Knowest Thou not that I have power to crucify Thee, and I have power to release Thee?’ Jesus answered: ‘Thou shouldst not have any power against Me, unless it were given thee from above! Therefore, he that hath delivered Me to thee, hath the greater sin!’ And from henceforth Pilate sought to release Him. But the Jews cried out, saying: ‘If thou release this Man, thou art not Caesar’s friend! For whosoever maketh himself a king, speaketh against Caesar!’ Now when Pilate had heard these words, he brought Jesus forth, and sat down in the judgment seat, and he said to the Jews: ‘Behold your king!’ But they cried out: ‘Away with Him! Away with Him! Crucify Him!’ Pilate said to them: ‘Shall I crucify your king?’ The chief priests answered: ‘We have no king but Caesar!’ Then therefore he delivered him to them to be crucified” (John 18:33-40; 19:1-16). Ah! The power of politics! Ah! The power of behind the scenes manipulation! Ah! The fickleness and stupidity of voters! Christ the miracle worker loses the vote to Barabbas the seditionist and rebel. Christ, Who raised people from the dead, loses the vote to Barabbas the murderer! Christ, Who takes nothing, loses the vote to Barabbas the robber! The people who admired and cheered for Christ, now seek to crucify Christ and cry for His Blood! Christ, Who was loved, is now hated! Would Christ today defeat Trump and Harris? Probably not! Why not? Because very few people would “buy-into” the manifesto that Christ would be preaching. His message would be unpopular with the populace. If miracles counted for nothing in that vote before Pilate almost 2,000 years ago―then any miracles Christ might perform now, would count for little in 2024. The following words of Holy Scripture are uncannily applicable to our day and age: “The Lord has looked down from Heaven upon the children of men―to see if there be any that understand and seek God. They are all gone aside! They are become unprofitable together! There is none that does good―no, not one! Their throat is an open sepulcher! With their tongues they acted deceitfully! The poison of asps is under their lips! Their mouth is full of cursing and bitterness! Their feet are swift to shed blood! Destruction and unhappiness in their ways and the way of peace they have not known! There is no fear of God before their eyes! Shall not all they know that work iniquity, who devour My people as they eat bread? They have not called upon the Lord―there have they trembled for fear, where there was no fear!” (Psalm 13:2-5). As Our Lord said in to Sister Mary Ephrem in the 1940s (to whom Our Lady of America appeared): “I am not loved in the homes of men. And because I am not loved, the Divine Trinity refuses to dwell therein ... Their hearts are being drawn farther and farther away from Me. They will not even listen to My Mother, because they have never been taught to listen ... Children are not taught to love Me, because those who have charge over them have no time or patience to do so … If the world is dying, it is because it will not let Me give it life. I am the resurrection and the life, and unless souls seek their life in Me, they will find only death and destruction … My Heart beats with compassion for the sorrows of man. Oh, how gladly would I help him bear the weight of his terrible cross, fashioned, for the most part, by his own guilt! But alas, he will have none of My help. So I am forced to stand by the side of the road and watch him struggle hopelessly in his agony. O man, what have I done to you that you should refuse My aid? Do you know what I find most lacking in the world today? It is FAITH. There are so few souls that believe in Me and My love. They profess their belief and their love, but they do not live this belief. Their hearts are cold, for without Faith there can be no love.” “Ain’t that the truth!!!” Now whether or not you accept and believe the Our Lady of America apparitions (and the additional apparitions by Our Lord that came with them)―you have still got to admit the truth of the above words. Don’t try and fool yourself that Our Lord is loved in the homes! People―even “good” Catholics―spend far more time on their electronic devices, or other pet hobbies, than they do with Our Lord. For the meager 2% to 3% who still “say” (but don’t really “pray”) the Rosary daily―there is little or no meditation on its mysteries, merely an announcing of the title of the mystery and perhaps the fruit of the mystery and that’s it! Just about everyone says the Rosary at a pace that they would never use in talking to other people―unless they were angry! Children are not really taught to love Our Lord (or Our Lady)―everything is so superficial, exterior, ready manufactured, on “auto-pilot” and “micro-waved.” As the children grow, they grow into addicts of social media, television, internet, music―but not Our Lord. Is it a surprise then that they would love and think more of earthly people―television and movie personalities, musicians and music bands, sports stars, etc. ― more than they love and think of Christ? Sure! Our Lord would win some votes―for there are still decent people and faithful Catholics around here and there―but the majority of voters would not be voting for Christ. Article 13
How to Rig an Election in God's Favor Elections do get “rigged”. What do we mean by “rigging” an election? Electoral fraud, sometimes referred to as election fraud, election manipulation or vote rigging, is illegal interference with the process of an election, either by increasing the vote share of a particular candidate, depressing the vote share of the rival candidates, or both.
Since the 1990s, there have been around 200 controversial national elections throughout the world―with various kinds of accusations of fraud, rigging and illegal interference being raised. Even the papal elections have come under the shadowy sinister suspicion of being rigged! In the 2018 book, How to Rig an Election, by Nic Cheeseman (Professor and International Development at the University of Birmingham, UK) and Brian Klaas (a Fellow in Comparative Politics at the London School of Economics), you can read about the 1998 St. Petersburg local assembly elections, where Oleg Sergeyev was running for re-election. In power, he had proved to be quite a thorn in the side of the city’s governor, Vladimir Yakovlev. So much so that some expected Sergeyev could even run for the governor’s position in the future, or at least challenge his authority by campaigning for reform. Yakovlev did not take opposition lightly, and so he allegedly used his political influence to take Sergeyev out of the game, before he became a real threat. Thus, when Oleg Sergeyev launched his bid to retain his seat, he was surprised to learn the names of two of his opponents: Oleg Sergeyev and Oleg Sergeyev ― both having the identical same name to the Oleg Sergeyev who was seeking re-election. The former namesake was a pensioner, the latter namesake an unemployed man. Neither of the two new Olegs had any qualifications for the office they were seeking. But they had been handpicked (and no doubt well-rewarded) for one key characteristic―their names. When voters arrived in the polling booth, they were unsure which of the three Oleg Sergeyev was their candidate of choice―because all they saw printed was the name. Many cast ballots for the “wrong” Sergeyev, which split the vote and contributed to Sergeyev’s downfall, exactly as Yakovlev had intended. The problem, of course, is that everyone realized the game that Yakovlev was playing. Voters aren’t stupid, and when they see three Oleg Sergeyevs on one ballot, they know the election is being rigged. Another case was Ukraine’s 2004 presidential election, which had masses of voters who were opposed to the incumbent, Viktor Yanukovych, turning up at the voting locations in the hope of voting him out. Upon arrival at their assigned polling stations, they received ballot papers and pens to mark them with. Many voted against the ruling regime, and placed their ballot papers into the ballot box to be counted. Four minutes later, their ballots were blank. Although the opposition voters didn’t know it, they had been given pens that were filled with disappearing ink. The ballot boxes were filled with stacks of unmarked ballots giving the impression that many voters chose to abstain from voting. Despite such dirty tricks, the incumbent, Yanukovych, eventually lost. Election observers noticed the disappearing ink trick — and many others — leading to the election being re-run. Nevertheless, say Cheeseman and Klaas, it must be said that Yanukovych’s defeat was unusual―because incumbents usually win most elections these days for two reasons. First, they enjoy many legitimate advantages, such as the ability to set the political agenda. Second, a remarkably high proportion of elections are rigged. Most incumbents have learned to transform elections from a threat to their grip on power, into something that can instead be used to tighten it. They’ve figured out how to rig an election, leading to the greatest political paradox of our time: There are more elections than ever before, and yet the world is becoming less democratic. Cheeseman and Klaas then say that if you want to take a master class in subtle and legal pre-election rigging, you might want to travel to the United States. The 2016 presidential election will be remembered for many things, but one of the most unusual was the repeated claims, by leaders in both parties, that the election was “rigged.” Many of these accusations were promoted by Russian hackers, who were intent on aggravating divisions between and within the political parties and fomenting distrust in the democratic system. Nevertheless, despite being seen as the world’s most powerful democracy, America is where many of the rigging techniques used today were perfected and continue to exert a powerful legacy. This is particularly true of two of the most tried and tested methods for establishing a pre-electoral advantage: gerrymandering and voter suppression. Distorted electoral boundaries loom large in every U.S. congressional election. Opinion polls consistently show that Congress is viewed favorably by just 10 to 20 percent of Americans. That is about the same favorability rating as cockroaches. But even with that dismal approval rating, only eight incumbents out of a body of 435 representatives lost their re-election bids in 2016. This is one of the lowest turnover rates in the world. Some of these uncompetitive elections are caused by demographic clustering, where like-minded voters self-select into districts. But gerrymandering―the manipulation of the boundaries of an electoral constituency, so as to favor one party or class―also plays a role. Across the United States, self-interested politicians get to choose their voters rather than the other way around. The worst offenders have been clustered in North Carolina, Michigan, and — until a recent decision by the state’s Supreme Court to redraw electoral boundaries — Pennsylvania. And there are offenders on both sides of the aisle: Democratic gerrymandering happens in Massachusetts, Maryland, and to a lesser extent Illinois; while Republican gerrymandering happens in Florida, Ohio, Texas, and Virginia. In net terms, Republicans have secured a significant seat advantage in the House of Representatives, thanks to the cynical and self-interested way in which congressional districts are drawn. Nowadays, elections are held almost everywhere. The vast majority of governments at least go through the motions of election campaigns and are rhetorically committed to allowing citizens to cast ballots to choose the leaders who will govern them. However, in many places, that choice is little more than an illusion; the contest is rigged from the start. If you think that poor-quality elections like the 2004 vote in Ukraine are an exception, think again: On a scale of 1 to 10, in which 10 reflects a perfect election and 1 reflects the worst possible, the average election around the world scores just 6 according to data collected by the Electoral Integrity Project. In Asia, Africa, post-communist Europe, and the Middle East, the figure is closer to 5. Globally, only about 30 percent of elections result in a transfer of power. In other words, incumbents win seven times out of 10. Since the turn of the century, there has been a gradual decline in the quality of democracy in the world. In 2017, according to Freedom House, 71 countries suffered net declines in political rights and civil liberties, with only 35 registering gains. The world has become more authoritarian every year since 2006, and the pace of democratic decline seems to be accelerating. Today, nearly 2 in 3 citizens in the world live under a system of government that is not fully democratic. In other words, we are in the middle of a serious democratic recession. The recent Coronavirus Plannedemic [read more on that here] only serves to underline this worldwide stifling of democracy, liberties and rights. One does not have to be cynical―only truthful―in stating that, for the most part, politics is becoming increasingly godless and corrupt. Do we really want to put our lives in the hands of godless and corrupt people? “But”, you will protest, “many of these politicians are not godless―they are Christians! Look at Trump’s running mate, Mike Pence! Biden himself is a practicing Catholic! Trump speaks of Jesus and holds up Bibles! Harris, Biden’s running mate, claims to be a Baptist!” Our Lord would reply to your protests with these words: “: “Not everyone that saith to Me: ‘Lord! Lord!’ shall enter into the Kingdom of Heaven: but he that doth the will of My Father Who is in Heaven, he shall enter into the Kingdom of Heaven. Many will say to Me in that day: ‘Lord! Lord! Have not we prophesied in Thy Name, and cast out devils in Thy Name, and done many miracles in Thy Name?’ And then will I profess unto them: ‘I never knew you! Depart from Me!’” (Matthew 7:21-23). “Why call you Me, ‘Lord! Lord!’ and do not the things which I say?” (Luke 6:46). “If you love Me, keep My commandments … He that hath My commandments, and keepeth them; he it is that loveth Me … If anyone love Me, he will keep My word … He that loveth Me not, keepeth not My words” (John 14:15, 14:21-24). “Well did Isaias prophesy of you hypocrites, as it is written: ‘This people honoureth Me with their lips, but their heart is far from Me!’” (Mark 7:6). This religious hypocrisy is especially seen in today’s politicians―regardless of which party, which race, which religion they belong to. The US national motto, found also on US currency, says “In God we trust” while the Pledge of Allegiance adds: “One nation under God” ― and many still use the phrase from the song: “God Bless America” ― yet that one nation does not trust in the ways of God, preferring to go its own way; that one nation under God now undermines God and His laws, refusing to carry the yoke of His commandments; that desire that God bless America will not be fulfilled in a godless America. The modern day notion of independence has degenerated more and more over the years from the initial false idea of independence. Today, nations seek independence not only a material and political level―they have also declared an independence from God. That “Declaration of Independence from God” is clearly seen by the laws legislated by those independent nations, just as a tree can be recognized by its fruits. As Our Lord said: “By their fruits you shall know them. Do men gather grapes of thorns, or figs of thistles? Even so every good tree bringeth forth good fruit, and the evil tree bringeth forth evil fruit. A good tree cannot bring forth evil fruit, neither can an evil tree bring forth good fruit. Every tree that bringeth not forth good fruit, shall be cut down, and shall be cast into the fire” (Matthew 7:16-19). “Either make the tree good and its fruit good―or make the tree evil, and its fruit evil. For by the fruit the tree is known” (Matthew 12:33). You could rephrase that to read: “Either make the nation good by making its laws good―or make the nation evil, by making its laws evil. For by its laws a nation is known.” So how do US laws measure up? US laws do not uphold the One True God in whom the Nation apparently trusts and under Whom it states that it stands: “In God we trust” and “One nation under God.” Yet its secular Constitution allows any old religion to exist and for its citizens to believe in whatever god them want. Not only that, but in April 2019, Satanists were acknowledged as being a religion and were given tax-exempt status by the IRS (Inland Revenue Service). Being granted tax-exempt status essentially means that the Satanic Temple has the same legal protections that other religions do, including “access to public spaces as other religious organizations; affirming its standing in court when battling religious discrimination; and enabling The Satanic Temple to apply for faith-based government grants,” according to a press release by the IRS. The taking of God’s Name in vain―blasphemy―is widespread and popular. Some people can’t say a sentence without including the word “Jesus!” or “My God!” Yet it is not out of devotion that they use those words! Far from it! The “Lord’s Day”―Sunday―is not just another day of the week. Very little holiness permeates the day―making a mockery of the Commandment: “Remember thou keep holy the Lord’s day!” Honoring of parents is a hit and miss affair―as is the honoring of all other authorities. “Thou shalt not kill” has changed to “Kill the innocent, but spare the guilty” ― as in the case of innocent babies being slaughtered by abortion, and murderers escaping the death penalty. “Thou shalt not commit adultery” has become pretty much “Thou shalt enjoy adultery, but just don’t get caught!” With regard to “Thou shall not steal”, nowadays it is a case of “Steal if you can disguise the theft in some way!” as in disproportionate and exorbitant charges, add-ons, taxes, levies, fines, penalties, etc. “Thou shalt not bear false witness against thy neighbor” has become “Dig up as much dirt as you can on neighbor―regardless of whether it is all true or not!” Election time is the harvest time for doing this! “Thou shalt not covet thy neighbor’s wife [or husband]” is a joke as we see so much impurity, immodesty, provocativeness, innuendo, nudity or semi-nudity plastered all over the place in movies, on television, on the internet, in books, magazines and newspapers, in advertisements―and nobody really gives a damn anymore, whereas in the past days of living memory, the police would warn or even arrest you for such kinds of behavior. The laws of Nations and States no longer care to promote or enforce the Commandments of God, for they have divorced themselves from God and have become mere secular states. Yes―by their fruits [or laws, or lack of laws] you will know them! “By their fruits you shall know them. Every good tree bringeth forth good fruit, and the evil tree bringeth forth evil fruit. A good tree cannot bring forth evil fruit, neither can an evil tree bring forth good fruit. Every tree that bringeth not forth good fruit, shall be cut down, and shall be cast into the fire” (Matthew 7:16-19). “Either make the tree good and its fruit good―or make the tree evil, and its fruit evil. For by the fruit the tree is known” (Matthew 12:33). So “Either make the nation good by making its laws good―or make the nation evil, by making its laws evil. For by its laws a nation is known.” Right now―many of the fruits or laws are evil. Abortion, divorce and remarriage, contraception, cohabitation, same-sex marriages and sexual relationships, homosexuality, transgenderism, etc. ― and these are just the tip of the iceberg. Already in 1956, Our Lady said to Blessed Elena Aiello: ““People are offending God too much! If I were to show you all the sins committed on a single day, you would surely die of grief! These are grave times! The world is in total turmoil because it is in a worse condition than at the time of the deluge! All is hanging on a slender thread! When that thread shall snap, Divine Justice shall pounce upon the world and execute its dreadful, purging designs! All the nations shall be punished because sins, like a muddy river, are now covering all the Earth!” So, coming to the theme of this article―does God “rig” elections or “rig” rulers? That would seem to be dishonest! Yet that is what God does and He is not being dishonest or a cheat in doing so. We actually need God to “rig” our elections―to dispose of those who refuse to use God’s ways in governing nations. God is the supreme authority―the rulers of nations have merely been wanted (if they are good rulers) or allowed (if they are bad rulers) for God’s own designs in either rewarding or punishing those nations. There is no authority except from God, and those authorities which exist are established by God: “There is no power but from God: and those that are, are ordained of God” (Romans 13:1). Ultimately, God is the ruler of the Earth, God is its king, its president, its governor. Our Lord confirms this truth when He tells Pontius Pilate that Pilate would have no authority over Him, unless it had been given to Pilate by God: “Thou shouldst not have any power against Me, unless it were given thee from above” (John 19:11). “He taketh away kingdoms and establisheth them” (Daniel 2:21). Good or bad governors are sent by God [“rigged” if you like] to either punish people for their sins or as reward for those who do what is right: “Governors sent by Him for the punishment of evildoers, and for the praise of the good” (1 Peter 2:14). “Princes are not a terror to the good work, but to the evil. Wilt thou then not be afraid of the power? Do that which is good―and thou shalt have praise from the same. For the prince is God’s minister to thee, for good. But if thou do that which is evil, then fear―for he beareth not the sword in vain. For he is God’s minister―an avenger to execute wrath upon him that doth evil” (Romans 13:3-4). God, in speaking of King Cyrus of Persia―a figure or symbol of the future Christ―says: “Thus saith the Lord to My anointed Cyrus, whose right hand I have taken hold of, to subdue nations before his face, and to turn the backs of kings, and to open the doors before him, and the gates shall not be shut. I will go before thee, and will humble the great ones of the Earth! I will break in pieces the gates of brass, and will burst the bars of iron!” (Isaias 45:1-2). “In the first year of Cyrus king of the Persians, to fulfill the word of the Lord, which he had spoken by the mouth of Jeremias, the Lord stirred up the heart of Cyrus king of the Persians who commanded it to be proclaimed through all his kingdom, and by writing also, saying: ‘Thus saith Cyrus king of the Persians: “All the kingdoms of the earth hath the Lord the God of heaven given to me, and he hath charged me to build him a house in Jerusalem, which is in Judea: who is there among you of all his people? The Lord his God be with him, and let him go up”‘“ (2 Paralipomenon 36:22-23). If God can depose―in one fell swoop―all the kings of the Earth and eliminate all the sinners of the Earth, as He already did in the time of Noe and the Great Flood; then the elimination of a ruler or two, or a few nations is “a piece of cake” in comparison. “All nations are before Him as if they had no being at all, and are counted to Him as nothing and vanity!” (Isaias 40:17). Civilizations come and go, and governments rise and fall―but God remains in charge, ruling the whole universe. God will bless nations only in proportion to how faithfully they adhere to God and His Laws. But this blessing ends when a nation becomes degenerate, rebellious, and unfit for self-rule. When God determines that His patient waiting and extended mercy for any particular nation has no redeeming effect, God then marginalizes, impoverishes or destroys that nation. “The Lord is the true God: He is the living God, and the everlasting king, at His wrath the Earth shall tremble, and the nations shall not be able to abide His threatening” (Jeremias 10:10) “And the word of the Lord came to me, saying: ‘Son of man, when a land shall sin against Me, so as to transgress grievously, I will stretch forth My hand upon it, and will break the staff of the bread thereof: and I will send famine upon it, and will destroy man and beast out of it. And if these three men―Noe, Daniel and Job, shall be in it [meaning, people who are just and holy like Noe, Daniel and Job]―then they shall deliver their own souls by their justice, saith the Lord of hosts. And if I shall bring mischievous beasts also upon the land to waste it, and it be desolate, so that there is none that can pass because of the beasts―if these three men shall be in it―as I live, saith the Lord, they shall deliver neither sons nor daughters, but they only shall be delivered, and the land shall be made desolate. Or if I bring the sword upon that land, and say to the sword: “Pass through the land!” and I destroy man and beast out of it―and these three men be in the midst thereof―as I live, saith the Lord God, they shall deliver neither sons nor daughters, but they themselves alone shall be delivered. Or if I also send the pestilence upon that land, and pour out My indignation upon it in blood, to cut off from it man and beast―and Noe, and Daniel and Job be in the midst thereof―as I live, saith the Lord God, they shall deliver neither son nor daughter, but they shall only deliver their own souls by their justice. For thus saith the Lord: Although I shall send in upon Jerusalem My four grievous judgments, the sword, and the famine, and the mischievous beasts, and the pestilence, to destroy out of it man and beast, yet there shall still be left in it some that shall be saved’” (Ezekiel 14:13-22). If we want sanity in politics, humility in politics, truth in politics, justice in politics, charity in politics―then we need God in politics. Not just a “lip-served” God, but a “heart-served” God, where God is truly in the hearts of politicians and not just on the lips. If God is in the heart, then God is loved―and if God is loved, then His Commandments are kept: “If you love Me, keep My commandments … He that hath My commandments, and keepeth them; he it is that loveth Me … If anyone love Me, he will keep My word … He that loveth Me not, keepeth not My words” (John 14:15, 14:21-24). “Blessed is the nation whose God is the Lord … The Lord hath looked from heaven: he hath beheld all the sons of men. From His habitation which H e hath prepared, he hath looked upon all that dwell on the earth. He who hath made the hearts of every one of them: who understandeth all their works. The king is not saved by a great army; nor shall the giant be saved by his own great strength. Vain is the horse for safety; neither shall he be saved by the abundance of his strength. Behold the eyes of the Lord are on them that fear Him and on them that hope in His mercy. To deliver their souls from death; and feed them in famine. Our soul waiteth for the Lord―for he is our helper and protector. For in Him our heart shall rejoice; and in His Holy Name we have trusted. Let thy mercy, O Lord, be upon us―as we have hoped in thee!” (Psalm 32:12-22). We need to pray MUCH and do MUCH penance in order to reform the current corrupt, and, in many cases, Satanic political stranglehold not only on America, but the entire world. It of such that God says: “They have reigned, but not by me: they have been princes, and I knew not!” (Osee 8:4). If we don’t or won’t pray and do penance, then, as the saying goes: “You get the leaders that you deserve!” For a long time now we have been getting what we deserve―and that is going to get a helluva lot worse very soon! Article 12
The Kind of Politician and President that God Would Like In the early 1600s, Our Lady of Good Success, how appeared many times at the end of the 16th and during the 17th centuries, in Quito, the capital of Ecuador, prophesied the following: “In the 19th Century there will be a truly Catholic president, a man of character whom God Our Lord will give the palm of martyrdom on the square adjoining this Convent. He will consecrate the Republic to the Sacred Heart of My Most Holy Son, and this consecration will sustain the Catholic Religion in the years that will follow, which will be ill-fated ones for the Church.”
The man of whom Our Lady was speaking was to be Garcia Moreno of Ecuador in South America, who was President of Ecuador on two occasions (1861–1865 and 1869–1875) and, after being elected to a third term, was assassinated during his before he could start his third term as President of Ecuador. He is noted for his Conservatism, Catholic religious perspective and rivalry with Liberal strongman Eloy Alfaro. Under his administration, Ecuador became a leader in science and higher education within Latin America. In addition to the advances in education and science, he was noted for economically and agriculturally advancing the country, as well as for his staunch opposition to corruption, even giving his own salary to charity. Gabriel Garcia Moreno was born in 1821, the son of Gabriel García-Yangüas y Gómez de Tama, a Spanish nobleman, and María de las Mercedes Moreno y Morán de Butrón, a member of a wealthy aristocratic criollo family in Ecuador’s main port, Guayaquil. His father died when Garcia Moreno was a boy, leading his upbringing to his devoutly Catholic mother. This rearing instilled in the young Garcia Moreno a devout sense of Catholic piety which would influence his later political activity as well as his private life. Garcia Moreno studied theology and law in the University of Quito. Thinking he had a vocation to the priesthood, he received minor orders and the tonsure; but his closest friends and his own interests convinced him to pursue a secular career. Graduating in 1844, he was admitted to the bar. Starting his career as both lawyer and journalist (opposed to the Liberal government in power) he made little headway. In 1849, he embarked on a two-year visit to Europe to see first-hand the effects of the 1848 revolution. He returned home to find his country in the grip of strident anti-clericals (against the Church, priests and religious); he was elected a senator and joined the opposition to Liberalism and anti-clericalism. Although himself a monarchist (he would have liked to have seen a Spanish prince on the throne) he bowed to circumstances and allowed himself to be made president after a civil war, the year after his return to Ecuador from Europe―so great had his stint as a senator made his reputation. In 1861, his presidential position was confirmed in a popular election for a four-year term. His successor was deposed by the Liberals in 1867. But two years later he was reelected, and then again in 1875. During his period in office, he propelled his nation forward, all the while uniting him more closely to Catholicism. Ecuador After Independence The coming of independence to Latin America saw the formation of two parties in every country: Liberal and Conservative. Conservatives looked toward Europe, and particularly Spain, for social and political inspiration. They wished to retain the Catholic Church in the position which she had from the first settlement; furthermore, they wanted the great estates to remain like those of Europe—self-contained communities which, despite failing to make a great deal of money for their owners, did build social stability. The Liberals looked to the United States as a guide, wanted separation of Church and State, and wished to turn the great estates into money-making concerns, like factories. These two groups had clashed since independence. The Conservatives produced some notable leaders, like Mexico’s Agustín de Iturbide and Guatemala’s Rafael Carrera. As the 19th century progressed, both parties were faced with the impact of such inventions as the railroad. From 1845 to 1860 Ecuador was in a position of near anarchy, barely ruled by a series of fleeting regimes, mostly Liberal; it was from this precarious, nearly anarchistic situation which Garcia Moreno saved the country. Personally pious―he attended Mass daily, as well as visiting the Blessed Sacrament; he received Holy Communion every Sunday (a rare practice before Pope St. Pius X advocated frequent Communion) and was active member in a religious sodality―he made it one of the first duties of his government to promote and support Catholicism. Catholicism was the official religion of Ecuador, but, by the terms of a new Concordat, the State’s power over appointment of bishops (inherited from Spain) was eliminated at García Moreno’s insistence and the appointment of bishops was left exclusively in the hands of the Church. The 1869 constitution made Catholicism the religion of the State and required that both candidates and voters be Catholic. He was the only ruler in the world to protest the Pope’s loss of the Papal States, and two years later had the legislature consecrate Ecuador to the Sacred Heart of Jesus. One of his biographers writes that after this public consecration, he was marked for death by German Freemasons. García Moreno generated some animosity with his friendship toward the Society of Jesus (Jesuits). During a period of exile, he helped some displaced Jesuits from Germany find refuge in Ecuador. He had also advocated legislation which would outlaw secret societies. While the politics of his age were extremely convoluted and murky, that he was elected to a second term clearly indicates his popular appeal, both with the Catholic Church and with the masses. His vigorous support of universal literacy and education based on the French model was both controversial and bold. Economic Climate of Ecuador García Moreno came to the presidency of a country with an empty treasury and an enormous debt. To overcome this, he placed the government on stringent economy and abolished many positions, as well as cutting out the corruption which siphoned off tax money. As a result, he was able to provide Ecuadoreans with more for less. This improved the financial status of the country and attracted foreign investment. The army was reformed, with officers being sent to Prussia to study, and illiterate recruits taught basic skills. Houses of prostitution were closed, and hospitals opened in all the major towns. Railroads and national highways were built, the telegraph extended, and the postal and water systems improved. City streets were paved and local bandits suppressed. These public works projects were accomplished in part through the use of revenues obtained from the trabajo subsidario tax, a tax initially created to aid the funding of local works projects. The trabajo subsidario tax in many ways mirrored the colonial mita labor requirements demanded of Indians by Spaniards. The voluntary contributions law and trabajo subsidario tax, revived in 1854, required that every citizen contribute four days of unpaid work to the State yearly or its monetary equivalent to promote the nation’s public works projects. Like its mita precursor, the trabajo subsidario obligation fell most heavily on Ecuador’s indigenous populations since these groups were unable to pay to avoid labor. Estate-bound peons were able to find protection from these laws through the help of hacendado or essential paternal landlords. In 1862, in a somewhat contentious move, García Moreno demanded control of these revenues of this tax in order to direct funds towards his ambitions for major infrastructural reform. This created a great deal of local discontent, as this meant diverting funds from more locally based public works projects. Using these funds, García Moreno began his famous highway system project, contracting workers from the trabajo subsidario requirement to build these roads. Along with a variety of notable public works programs, García Moreno reformed the universities, established two polytechnic and agricultural colleges and a military school, and increased the number of primary schools from 200 to 500. The number of primary students grew from 8000 to 32,000. To staff the enormously expanded health-care and educational facilities, foreign religious were brought in. All of this was done while expanding the franchise and guaranteeing equal rights under the law to every Ecuadorean. Religious Climate of Ecuador Economic development, however, was only a part of Garcia Moreno’s plan for the new Ecuador; he above all sought to remake the nation into a shining example of a Catholic State. Garcia Moreno, while abroad, had witnessed the violence and chaos, as well as the uprooting of the Church’s spiritual authority, which revolutionary Liberalism brought in the Revolutions of 1848, As a result, he became further committed to Catholic principles. The new constitution Garcia Moreno drafted in 1861 increased presidential power to allow for this, and his 1862 concordat with the Church gave it more power over Ecuador it has ever had before or since. Catholicism, in a new 1869 constitution, was made the State religion as well as the only legal Faith. Garcia Moreno further strengthened the Church’s interests that same year by signing into effect legislation which outlawed secret societies such as the Freemasons, which those on the receiving end saw as a personal attack. Garcia Moreno, however, did not merely leave the Church alone but instead sought to reform the behavior of Ecuador’s clergy. Priests since colonial times, in spite of canon law, frequently had held wives and concubines on the side, and monks frequently were in disciplinary trouble for abandoning their vows and engaging in drunkenness. Garcia Moreno, therefore set into effect laws which enforced rigid monastic and clerical discipline. He further set the Church to work by turning education over to the Jesuits, who were well renowned for their work in the advance of the empirical sciences. Political Climate and Assassination The Liberals hated García Moreno, due to the authoritarian and ultra-Conservative nature of his rule, as well as the fact that he frequently used secret police to silence leftist dissent. In the minds of radicals, Garcia Moreno was a dictator, and the Liberals also were enraged that his policies remained after 1865 when friends of his were elected, and winning the presidency again in 1869. Meanwhile, other politicians, who previously had been free to exert their influence over government for their own personal gain, now were opposed by a man determined to stamp out all corruption within Ecuador. This opposition from the more radical left compelled Juan Montalvo to write the pamphlet La dictadura perpetua (The Perpetual Dictatorship), which inspired the movement to assassinate Garcia Moreno. Therefore, when he was elected a third time in 1875, it was considered to be his death warrant. He wrote immediately to Pope Pius IX asking for his blessing before inauguration day on August 30th: “I wish to obtain your blessing before that day, so that I may have the strength and light which I need so much in order to be unto the end a faithful son of our Redeemer, and a loyal and obedient servant of His Infallible Vicar. Now that the Masonic Lodges of the neighboring countries, instigated by Germany, are vomiting against me all sorts of atrocious insults and horrible calumnies, now that the Lodges are secretly arranging for my assassination, I have more need than ever of the divine protection so that I may live and die in defense of our holy religion and the beloved republic which I am called once more to rule.” García Moreno’s prediction was correct; he was assassinated in the steps of the National Palace in Quito, struck down with knives and revolvers, his last words being: “Dios no muere!” (“God does not die!”). Faustino Rayo assaulted him with several blows of a machete, while three or four others shot him with their revolvers. On August 5th, shortly before his assassination, a priest visited García Moreno and warned him, “You have been warned that your death was decreed by the Freemasons; but you have not been told when. I have just heard that the assassins are going to try and carry out their plot at once. For God’s sake, take your measures accordingly!” García Moreno replied that he had already received similar warnings and after calm reflection concluded that the only measure he could take was to prepare himself to appear before God. “It appears he was assassinated by members of a secret society,” observed a contemporary review of public events. Gabriel Garcia Moreno received Last Rites just before he died. Pope Pius IX declared that Gabriel Garcia Moreno “died a victim for the Faith and Christian Charity for his beloved country.” Article 11
The Fooling of Fools A World of Fools
Holy Scripture tells us: “The number of fools is infinite” (Ecclesiastes 1:15) and that “the heart of fools is in their mouth” (Ecclesiasticus 21:29) adding that “the mouth of a fool is his destruction: and his lips are the ruin of his soul!” (Proverbs 18:7). “A fool will upbraid bitterly” (Ecclesiasticus 18:18). “The fool will speak foolish things, and his heart will work iniquity, practice hypocrisy, and speak deceitfully” (Isaias 32:6). The modernly phrased proverb, “Better to remain silent and be thought a fool than to speak out and remove all doubt” is based on the Scriptural proverb: “Even a fool, if he will hold his peace, shall be counted as being wise―and if he close his lips, shall be counted as a man of understanding!” (Proverbs 17:28). “For professing themselves to be wise, they became fools!” (Romans 1:22). But the fool fails to see that he is fool because “A fool shall be filled with his own ways … The way of a fool is right in his own eyes! … Folly is joy to the fool!” (Proverbs 14:14; 12:15; 15:21). Today, even a fool can see the foolishness that is being spewed out―day in, day out―on the various communications platforms available to us, such as the internet and social media. It is often a case of “post before you think” and is based on what Scripture says: “The way of a fool is right in his own eyes!” (Proverbs 12:15). The number of “armchair popes” and “amateur dogmatists” is so great that you could apply to them the quote about fools: “The number of fools is infinite” (Ecclesiastes 1:15). Who is fooling who? Are we being fooled? Are we fooling ourselves? Who is the fool? Are the politicians fools? Are the common people fools? Do you have confidence in politicians? Are politicians trying to “con” us? This brings back to mind the words spoken to President Reagan by the CIA Director, William Casey, in the 1981 initial presidential briefing of President Ronald Reagan, weeks after he took office ― “We’ll know our disinformation program is complete when everything the American public believes is false.” Barbara Honegger ― Assistant to the Chief Domestic Policy Adviser to President Reagan ― confirms that quote by Casey. Barbara Honegger said: “I am the source for this quote, which was indeed said by CIA Director, William Casey, at an early February 1981 meeting of the newly elected President Reagan with his new cabinet secretaries, to report to him on what they had learned about their agencies in the first couple of weeks of the administration. The meeting was in the Roosevelt Room in the West Wing of the White House, not far from the Cabinet Room. I was present at the meeting as Assistant to the chief domestic policy adviser to the President. Casey first told Reagan that he had been astonished to discover that over 80% of the ‘intelligence’― that the analysis side of the CIA produced ― was based on open public sources like newspapers and magazines. As he did to all the other secretaries of their departments and agencies, Reagan asked [Casey] what he saw as his goal as director for the CIA, to which he [Casey] replied with this quote, which I recorded in my notes of the meeting as he said it [“We’ll know our disinformation program is complete when everything the American public believes is false”]. Shortly thereafter I told Senior White House correspondent Sarah McClendon, who was a close friend and colleague, who in turn made it public.” (Barbara Honegger, Assistant to the Chief Domestic Policy Adviser to President Reagan). Not only does Honegger claim he said it, but apparently he said it in response to what he saw as his goal as CIA Director! Are we fools for believing what we are being told by the politicians and the media? Political Puppets and Puppet Masters It is often said that politicians―especially those at the top end of the political ladder―are merely puppets who are controlled by the unseen puppet-masters behind the scenes, the money-men, the elite, or, as some call them “Deep State” or “The Swamp”―but “Deep State” or “The Swamp” is itself in the hands of higher powers. This is the hallmark, trademark, preferred tactic of Satan himself―proud though he is, he prefers to work behind the scenes, subtly, craftily, quietly, allowing the glory of his successes to be given to his human stooges or instruments. Perhaps “puppet-masters” is an appropriate term―for politics is merely a stage, a circus, a game, a distraction that allows those “pulling-the-strings” to quietly, hiddenly, subtly, craftily work behind the scenes of the “smoke-and-mirrors” political stage that they have created and control. Talking of “control”―it seems that never before have been more controllable and malleable that in the present “dumbed-down” era. A Nation of Idiots A Chicago Tribune article, entitled “Political Circus Embarrassing, Not Entertaining” from October 4th, 2018, stated: “America by and large is full of idiots ... boring, pathetic … fat, dumb people, who have no interests except McDonald’s and malls … Many of the cable news networks air the same tired, yet successful formula―give viewers 10% of actual news followed by 90% of pontification from a peanut gallery of self-described experts ... Too many national media outlets focus on the opinions on the latest scandal. And we keep getting stabbed in the eye by our political leaders with help from national media … To the rest of the world, we must appear to be, yes, a nation full of idiots. Deep down, we know this to be true. Yet we don’t do anything about it. It’s an embarrassment!” You could almost call politics as an extension of Hollywood. It claims that it is “a government of the people, by the people and for the people” ― but you would have to say it more of a “theater of people to fool the people” ― a “front”, a “distraction” that is meant to make people focus on the wrong things, secondary things, while they are being pick-pocketed of the rights and freedoms. This is the “magical” world of politics, which follows the stage or theatrical “magician’s” principles of deception. Magically Fooled In theatrical magic, misdirection is a form of deception in which the performer draws audience attention to one thing to distract it from another. Managing audience attention is the aim of all theater, and the foremost requirement of all magic acts. In magic, the performer and the audience share an understanding―feats that appear to be real are actually optical illusions. When executed properly, all magic, deceives observers, tricking them into believing what they see. Magicians pull this off using the art of misdirection. Misdirection—or direction, as some magicians prefer to call it—is the subtle, deceptive art of directing an audience’s attention towards one thing (a magical effect) so it does not notice another (the method or mechanics of a trick). It can refer to both the effect of a spectator’s mind being focused on an unimportant thing, or the action that causes it. Magicians misdirect audience attention in two basic ways. One leads the audience to look away for a fleeting moment, so that they don’t detect some sleight-of-hand or move. The other approach re-frames the audience’s perception, distracting them into thinking that an extraneous factor has much to do with the accomplishment of the feat (trick), when it really has no bearing on the effect at all. The true skill of the magician is in the skill he exhibits in influencing the spectator’s mind. “Misdirection has nothing to do with distraction. It has everything to do with controlling audience attention, at all times” (Gary Kurtz, magician). “Not only shouldn’t they see anything, they shouldn’t suspect anything” (Erdnase, magician). “As a magician, you must learn how magicians use misdirection to make sure your spectators don’t see the things you do not want them to see. It’s not about hiding moves. It’s not about turning your back while you do a suspicious half pass; it’s about controlling audience attention so that when you are going to make a move, the audience is not only focused somewhere else, but they don’t even suspect you are doing anything. It is about making sure that suspicion doesn’t even cross your spectator’s mind” (Merchant of Magic). You would imagine that magicians would make the best politicians! In The Encyclopedia of Magic and Magicians, author T.A. Waters writes that “Misdirection is the cornerstone of nearly all successful magic; without it, even the most skilled Sleight of Hand or mechanical device is unlikely to create an illusion of real magic.” Misdirection uses the limits of the human mind to give the wrong picture and memory. The mind of a typical audience member can only concentrate on one thing at a time. The magician uses this to manipulate the audience’s ideas, or, perceptions of sensory input, leading them to false conclusions. As one magician, Tommy Wonder, says: “When a great magician uses misdirection correctly, the audience doesn’t FEEL distracted at all. Quite opposite, they would swear they’ve been staring at the magician’s hands the entire time—and that they’ve NEVER looked away. That’s what misdirection is all about. We want our spectators to believe that THEY are in control of their attention. In reality, we choose where they look, and what they see, at every moment.” In the book, The Secret Art of Magic, authors Eric Evans and Nowlin Craver state that magic is directly related to warfare, and relies on the same principles for success. They reference the Ancient Chinese military strategist, Sun Tzu’s book, Art of War, to show how deception is essential to any successful campaign. Craver goes on to illustrate, through the 36 strategies, how they form a blueprint for every known method of misdirection. In World War II, British military intelligence employed stage magician Jasper Maskelyne to help devise various forms of misdirection such as ruses, deception, and camouflage. Dumb, Distracted and Deceived Dumbed-down, entertainment stuffed, media-drunk, internet-infested, couch-potato Christian soldiers of Christ have allowed themselves to be distracted, diverted or mesmerized by the cheap theater tricks. These “Hollywood” made spectacles are Shakespearean in their scope. The wall-to-wall media coverage full of sound, fury and fear―stirs the emotions, fools the mind, but signifies little or nothing in comparison to the things they are distracting you from―the more important and more sinister things that are being planned behind the scenes. We’ve been losing our freedoms so incrementally for so long—sold to us in the name of national security and global peace, maintained by way of martial law disguised as law and order, and enforced by a standing army of militarized police and a political elite determined to maintain their powers at all costs—that it’s hard to pinpoint exactly when it all started going downhill, but we’re certainly on that downward trajectory now, and things are moving fast. The Republic has fallen. The “Deep State’s” plot to take over America has succeeded in all but the final icing on the cake. The cake is cooked. The American system of representative government has been overthrown by a profit-driven, militaristic, corporate oligarchy bent on total control and global domination through the imposition of martial law here at home and by fomenting wars abroad. Even now, we are being pushed and prodded towards a civil war, not because the American people are so divided but because that’s how corrupt governments control a populace (i.e., divide and conquer). Article 10
A Lady for President or Our Lady for President? As the years go by, there is more and more talk about who might be the first female President of the United States. In bygone years there have been women who sought to run for the Presidency, but they were usually from “fringe parties” and never got very far. Hilary Clinton came close in 2016 and now Kamala Harris is trying to become President in 2024. Numerous other nations have had a woman in the top ruling position of power―the larger ones including China, India, Canada, United Kingdom, Ireland, Germany, France, Portugal, Austria, Ukraine, Norway, Finland, Brazil, Argentina, Peru, Chile, Philippines, Pakistan, Poland, Australia, New Zealand and a lot, lot more. The United States of America is a notable absentee from that list.
Can a woman reign and rule? Normally, according to the designs of God’s creation, a woman is a helper to man: “for Adam there was not found a helper like himself. Then the Lord God cast a deep sleep upon Adam: and when he was fast asleep, he took one of his ribs, and filled up flesh for it. And the Lord God built the rib which he took from Adam into a woman: and brought her to Adam” (Genesis 2:20-22). “Let wives be subject to their husbands” (1 Peter 3:1). “Wives, be subject to your husbands” (Colossians 3:18). “As the Church is subject to Christ, so also let the wives be to their husbands in all things” (Ephesians 5:24). “Let women be subject to their husbands, as to the Lord” (Ephesians 5:22). Usually the woman’s role is one of assistance to her husband―so, in the case of a queen, one would usually assume and find it to be the case that there is also a king in the picture. Though this is not always the case―as was seen in the long reign of Queen Elizabeth II of England (who ascended to the throne in 1952 and reigned until 2022)―whose husband Philip only had the title “Prince” and not “King”. An ancient English ruling states that the wives of ruling kings are to be called “queens”, whereas husbands of ruling queens are to be called “princes”. Our Lady―whom we call the Queen of Heaven and Earth―is not without her king. That King is, of course, her Son―Our Lord Jesus Christ―to Whom Pontius Pilate asked the question: “‘Art Thou a king then?’ Jesus answered: ‘Thou sayest that I am a king. For this was I born, and for this came I into the world!’” (John 18:37). Our Lady is not there to usurp the throne of Christ and reign in place of Him―she is there to promote the reign of Christ throughout the world. St. Louis de Montfort says: “It was through the most holy Virgin Mary that Jesus came into the world, and it is also through her that He has to reign in the world … It was only through Mary that God the Father gave His Only begotten to the world … The Son of God became man for our salvation; but it was in Mary and by Mary … The conduct which the Three Persons of the Most Holy Trinity have deigned to pursue in the Incarnation and the first coming of Jesus Christ, They still pursue daily, in an invisible manner, throughout the whole Church; and They will still pursue it even to the consummation of ages in the last coming of Jesus Christ … God the Father wishes to have children by Mary till the consummation of the world” (True Devotion to Mary). St. Louis de Montfort continues: “God the Father wishes to have children by Mary till the consummation of the world … All the true children of God, the predestinate, have God for their Father and Mary for their Mother. He who has not Mary for his Mother has not God for his Father. This is the reason why the reprobate, such as heretics, schismatics and others, who hate our Blessed Lady or regard her with contempt and indifference, have not God for their Father, however much they boast of it, simply because they have not Mary for their Mother … Mary has produced, together with the Holy Ghost, the greatest thing which has been or ever will be—a God Man; and she will consequently produce the greatest saints that there will be in the end of time. The formation and the education of the great saints who shall come at the end of the world are reserved for her” (True Devotion to Mary). Never mind about “Making America Great Again!” What about making souls holy again? “For what doth it profit a man, if he gain the whole world, and suffer the loss of his own soul? Or what exchange shall a man give for his soul?” (Matthew 16:26). God―as revealed by Our Lady of America―expects a holiness from America, saying to them what He once said to His Chosen People, that He wants “to make thee higher than all nations which He hath created, to His own praise, and Name, and glory―so that thou mayest be a holy people of the Lord thy God!” (Deuteronomy 26:19). “Sanctify yourselves, and be ye holy―because I am the Lord your God!” (Leviticus 20:7). In another of his works, The Secret of Mary, St. Louis de Montfort addresses the quest for this holiness: “Chosen soul, living image of God and redeemed by the Precious Blood of Jesus Christ, God wants you to become holy like Him in this life, and glorious like Him in the next (Matthew 5:48). It is certain that growth in the holiness of God is your vocation. All your thoughts, words, actions, everything you suffer or undertake, must lead you towards that end. Otherwise you are resisting God, in not doing the work for which He created you and for which He is even now keeping you in being. What a marvelous transformation is possible! Dust into light, uncleanness into purity, sinfulness into holiness, creature into Creator, man into God! A marvelous work, I repeat, so difficult in itself, and even impossible for a mere creature to bring about, for only God can accomplish it by giving His grace abundantly and in an extraordinary manner. The very creation of the universe is not as great an achievement as this. “Chosen soul, how will you bring this about? What steps will you take to reach the high level to which God is calling you? The means of holiness and salvation are known to everybody, since they are found in the Gospel; the masters of the spiritual life have explained them; the saints have practiced them and shown how essential they are for those who wish to be saved and attain perfection. These means are: sincere humility, unceasing prayer, complete self-denial, abandonment to divine Providence, and obedience to the will of God. “The grace and help of God are absolutely necessary for us to practice all these, but we are sure that grace will be given to all, though not in the same measure. I say “not in the same measure,” because God does not give His graces in equal measure to everyone (Romans 12:6), although in His infinite goodness He always gives sufficient grace to each. A person who corresponds to great graces performs great works, and one who corresponds to lesser graces performs lesser works. The value and high standard of our actions corresponds to the value and perfection of the grace given by God and responded to by the faithful soul. No one can contest these principles. “It all comes to this, then. We must discover a simple means to obtain from God the grace needed to become holy. It is precisely this I wish to teach you. My contention is that you must first discover Mary if you would obtain this grace from God” (St. Louis de Montfort, The Secret of Mary). St. Louis then makes ten points on how Mary leads us to holiness and, so to speak, “Makes Our Souls Great Again!” (1) Mary alone found grace with God for herself and for every individual person (Luke 1:30). No patriarch nor prophet nor any other holy person of the Old Law could manage to find this grace; (2) It was Mary who gave existence and life to the author of all grace and, because of this, she is called the “Mother of Grace.” (3) God the Father, from Whom, as from its essential source, every perfect gift and every grace come down to us (James 1:17), gave her every grace when He gave her His Son. Thus, as St. Bernard says, the will of God is manifested to her in Jesus and with Jesus. (4) God chose her to be the treasurer, the administrator and the dispenser of all His graces, so that all His graces and gifts pass through her hands. Such is the power that she has received from Him that, according to St. Bernardine, she gives the graces of the eternal Father, the virtues of Jesus Christ, and the gifts of the Holy Ghost to whom she wills, as and when she wills, and as much as she wills. (5) As in the natural life a child must have a father and a mother, so in the supernatural life of grace a true child of the Church must have God for his Father and Mary for his mother. If he prides himself on having God for his Father, but does not give Mary the tender affection of a true child, he is an imposter and his father is the devil. (6) Since Mary produced the head of the elect, Jesus Christ, she must also produce the members of that head, that is, all true Christians. A mother does not conceive a head without members, nor members without a head. If anyone, then, wishes to become a member of Jesus Christ, and consequently be filled with grace and truth, (John 1:14), he must be formed in Mary through the grace of Jesus Christ, which she possesses with a fullness enabling her to communicate it abundantly to true members of Jesus Christ, her true children. (7) The Holy Ghost espoused Mary and produced His greatest work, the incarnate Word, in her, by her and through her. He has never disowned her and so He continues to produce every day, in a mysterious but very real manner, the souls of the elect in her and through her. (8) Mary received, from God, a unique dominion over souls, enabling her to nourish them and make them more and more godlike. St. Augustine went so far as to say that, even in this world, all the elect are enclosed in the womb of Mary, and that their real birthday is when this good mother brings them forth to eternal life. Consequently, just as an infant draws all its nourishment from its mother, who gives according to its needs, so the elect draw all their spiritual nourishment and all their strength from Mary. (9) It was to Mary that God the Father said, “Dwell in Jacob” (Ecclesiasticus 24:8, 12) that is, dwell in my elect, who are typified by Jacob. It was to Mary that God the Son said, “My dear Mother, your inheritance is in Israel,” that is, in the elect. It was to Mary that the Holy Ghost said, “Place your roots in my elect.” Whoever, then, is of the chosen and predestinate, will have the Blessed Virgin living within him, and he will let her plant in his very soul the roots of every virtue, but especially deep humility and ardent charity. (10) Mary is called by St. Augustine, and is indeed, the “living mold of God.” In her alone the God-man was formed in His human nature without losing any feature of the Godhead. In her alone, by the grace of Jesus Christ, man is made godlike as far as human nature is capable of it” (St. Louis de Montfort, The Secret of Mary). St. Louis de Montfort adds: “When the Holy Ghost, her Spouse, has found Mary in a soul, He flies there. He enters there in His fullness; He communicates Himself to that soul abundantly, and to the full extent to which it makes room for His spouse. Nay, one of the greatest reasons why the Holy Ghost does not now do startling wonders in our souls is because He does not find there a sufficiently great union with His faithful and inseparable spouse.” (True Devotion to Mary). How the Planet would change if Mary were elected “President”!! The following words of Fr. Frederick Faber, from the Preface of his own personal translation, from the original French, of St. Louis de Montfort’s book, True Devotion to Mary, paints a picture of how different the world would be if Mary reigned in our minds and hearts: “All those who are likely to read this book [True Devotion to Mary], love God, and lament that they do not love Him more; all desire something for His glory—the spread of some good work, the success of some devotion, the coming of some good time. One man has been striving for years to overcome a particular fault, and has not succeeded. Another mourns, and almost wonders while he mourns, that so few of his relations and friends have been converted to the Faith. One grieves that he has not devotion enough; another that he has a cross to carry which is a peculiarly impossible cross to him; while a third has domestic troubles and family unhappinesses which feel almost incompatible with his salvation; and for all these things prayer appears to bring so little remedy. “But what is the remedy that is wanted? What is the remedy indicated by God Himself? If we may rely on the disclosures of the saints, it is an immense increase of devotion to our Blessed Lady; but, remember, nothing short of an immense one! Here in England, Mary is not half enough preached! Devotion to her is low and thin and poor! It is frightened out of its wits by the sneers of heresy! It is always invoking human respect and carnal prudence, wishing to make Mary so little of a Mary that Protestants may feel at ease about her! Its ignorance of theology makes it unsubstantial and unworthy! It is not the prominent characteristic of our religion which it ought to be! It has no faith in itself! Hence it is that Jesus is not loved, that heretics are not converted, that the Church is not exalted; that souls which might be saints wither and dwindle; that the Sacraments are not rightly frequented, or souls enthusiastically evangelized! “Jesus is obscured because Mary is kept in the background! Thousands of souls perish because Mary is withheld from them! It is the miserable, unworthy shadow which we call our devotion to the Blessed Virgin that is the cause of all these wants and blights, these evils and omissions and declines! Yet, if we are to believe the revelations of the saints, God is pressing for a greater, a wider, a stronger, quite another devotion to His Blessed Mother! I cannot think of a higher work or a broader vocation for anyone than the simple spreading of this peculiar devotion of the Venerable Grignion de Montfort! Let a man but try it for himself, and his surprise at the graces it brings with it, and the transformations it causes in his soul, will soon convince him of its otherwise almost incredible efficacy as a means for the salvation of men, and for the coming of the kingdom of Christ! Oh, if Mary were but known, there would be no coldness to Jesus then! Oh, if Mary were but known, how much more wonderful would be our Faith, and how different would our Communions be! Oh, if Mary were but known, how much happier, how much holier, how much less worldly should we be, and how much more should we be living images of our sole Lord and Savior, her dearest and most blessed Son!” (Fr. Frederick Faber, from the Preface, True Devotion to Mary,). We need Mary’s rule in our lives. Until we elect Our Lady as Queen of our Hearts, or, if you like, President of our Planet, then we will continue in our ever increasing spiral downwards in sin towards Hell. Just as worldly presidential candidates will say that they are the only ones who can bring the country out of its demise and problems―Our Lady likewise, at her “Fatima Convention” on July 13th, 1917, while referring to herself under the title of “Our Lady of the Rosary”―said: “Only she can help you now!” At her “Akita Convention” in Japan, on October 13th, 1973, Our Lady said the same thing: “I alone am able still to save you from the calamities which approach. Those who place their confidence in me will be saved!” Article 9
Election Virus of Lies and Falsehood Election Fever Pandemic
When elections come around―be it the U.S. Presidential Elections or any other kind of major election―then it’s time to lie low! Or should it be said: “It’s time to lie and to lie in a low, mean, nasty way!” Isn’t it strange how everyone somehow feels dispensed from the virtue of charity during “Election Season”? You could say that Election time brings with it the “No-Love-Virus” which hits pandemic proportions during “Election Season”. Its symptoms are a raging fever, a racing heart, fits of anger and depression, foggy reasoning, selective hearing, temporary blindness and a host more, especially delirium. Voter Delirium Delirium is defined as an acute, fluctuating syndrome of altered attention, awareness, and cognition. Delirium is a serious disturbance in mental abilities that results in confused thinking and reduced awareness of the environment. Delirium causes an abrupt change in the brain, that leads to mental confusion and emotional disruption. It makes it difficult to think, remember, sleep, pay attention, and more. It is common in older persons. In the long term, delirium can cause permanent damage to cognitive or thinking abilities. An early sign of delirium of delirium may be a sudden confusion about time and often about place, where they are. If delirium is severe, people may not know who they, or who or what other people are. Thinking is confused, and people with delirium tend to ramble, sometimes becoming incoherent. It is interesting how delirium can relate to the political field and the way people see things and think about things politically! Here is a brief medical overview of delirium―you can easily relate it to politics! ► The Medical profession categorizes delirium as follows: ● Reduced awareness of the environment, which may result in: ● An inability to stay focused on a topic or to switch topics ● Getting stuck on an idea rather than responding to questions or conversation ● Being easily distracted by unimportant things ● Being withdrawn, with little or no activity or little response to the environment ► What are the general symptoms of delirium? The general symptoms of delirium usually start suddenly, over a few hours or a few days. They often come and go. The most common symptoms include: ● Changes in alertness (usually more alert in the morning, less at night) ● Changing levels of consciousness ● Confusion ● Disorganized thinking, talking in a way that doesn’t make sense ● Disrupted sleep patterns, sleepiness ● Emotional changes: anger, agitation, depression, irritability, overexcitement ● Hallucinations and delusions ● Incontinence ● Memory problems, especially with short-term memory ● Trouble concentrating ► Poor thinking skills (cognitive impairment) which may appear as: ● Poor memory, particularly of recent events ● Disorientation — for example, not knowing where you are or who you are ● Difficulty speaking or recalling words ● Rambling or nonsense speech ● Trouble understanding speech ● Difficulty reading or writing ►Behavior changes, which may include: ● Seeing things that don’t exist (hallucinations) ● Restlessness, agitation or combative behavior ● Calling out, moaning or making other sounds ● Being quiet and withdrawn — especially in older adults ● Slowed movement or lethargy ● Disturbed sleep habits ● Reversal of night-day sleep-wake cycle ► Emotional disturbances, which may appear as: ● Anxiety, fear or paranoia ● Depression ● Irritability or anger ● A sense of feeling elated (euphoria) ● Apathy ● Rapid and unpredictable mood shifts ● Personality changes ► Types of delirium Experts have identified three types of delirium: ● Hyperactive delirium. Probably the most easily recognized type, this may include restlessness (for example, pacing), agitation, rapid mood changes or hallucinations, and refusal to cooperate with care. ● Hypoactive delirium. This may include inactivity or reduced motor activity, sluggishness, abnormal drowsiness, or seeming to be in a daze. ● Mixed delirium. This includes both hyperactive and hypoactive signs and symptoms. The person may quickly switch back and forth from hyperactive to hypoactive states. Are you beginning to notice more and more cases of delirium around you as we enter “Election Season” or “Election Fever”? The state of delirium is the politicians and media’s dream! Symptom #1: Easily Distracted There is often a great deal going on around us. There can be multiple people doing different things, shows on the TV, and sometimes there are activities going on outside the window. Still, we generally manage to focus on what we are doing and take no notice of the other things that are going on. One of the early signs of delirium is that the patient can become easily distracted. Even trivial things can distract them from what they are supposed to be doing. This can make it very difficult for them to get anything done, even if they do have serious things to be focusing on. Politics is a master of distraction. Politicians will distract you from important truths with trivial matters. Symptom #2: Sticking on Ideas When talking with other people, we will tend to share ideas and thoughts on certain subjects. We’ll say what we have to say, and will then often stay quiet and listen to what other people have to say. People suffering from delirium, however, can find this to be difficult. Instead of sharing and listening, they will often focus on one point and stick to it. Instead of responding accordingly to the input of other people around them, they can continue on their path of talking about the idea that is stuck in their head. At times, it can be as though they are just talking to themselves and nobody else is around them. Have you noticed how many politicians have a theme or a slogan or a point that they keep hammering away at—which is usually some failure, fault, mistake or vice of their opponent. Symptom #3: Disorientation Our brains are very good at letting us know what is happening around us. We can take in various events and process them with ease, making us aware of our surroundings at all times. If all is not well, though, then even knowing what is around us can become very difficult. People suffering from delirium can become very disorientated. They may struggle to understand where they are and how they got there, as well as struggling to make sense of activities around them. It can become very disturbing for them, and they will likely need to be taken to a safe place. Politics loves to disorientate people, to confuse people so as to hide from them what is really going on. Symptom #4: Withdrawn We all have different personalities and some people like to get involved with activities more than others. Even those that do tend to be quite reserved, though, will still enjoy getting involved with close friends and family from time to time. However, if somebody has become more withdrawn than usual, then it can be a sign that all is not well. People that are suffering from delirium will often withdraw completely from activities and socializing with others. They may choose to stay in a room alone, away from everybody else, only speaking with others when absolutely necessary. This can also be a sign of various other problems, some of which can be very serious. Symptom #5: Memory Loss Human beings have impressive memories. We can remember complex calculations and also events that happened to us many years ago. Mostly, these memories will stay tucked away until we need them, at which point they can be recalled with ease. If the brain is not well, though, then recalling these memories can become a great deal harder. Patients with delirium will sometimes find that they begin to lose their memory. They can struggle to remember even simple things, especially things that have occurred recently. This is potentially risky, particularly when it comes to things such as turning off stoves and other appliances. It is amazing how many politicians have selective memory loss when it comes to their own failings—but have a memory as sharp as a tack when it comes to the failings of their opponents! Symptom #6: Rambling Good speakers are able to make themselves well understood. They are able to keep on topic and speak in a way that allows others to understand them with ease. Some people are better at this than others, but if somebody is rambling then it could be a sign of an illness. Patients with delirium will sometimes go from one topic to another when speaking. This can make it difficult to follow what they are saying as they are continually changing track. It is a sign of various mental illnesses and is something that should be checked out as soon as possible. Rambling can be art by which you sedate, hypnotize and drag people along with you. It can also backfire. However, one thing is certain, the “Election Season” is a “Rambling Season”. Symptom #7: Reading Difficulties Reading comes as second nature to most of us. Indeed, many of us even do so for pleasure, and some can read in multiple languages. It is something that we start learning from a young age and that lasts with us until the day that we die. Sometimes, though, even reading can become difficult for people. Delirium can cause people to have trouble reading, even if their eyes are in good working order. This means that they can also struggle to write regardless of their ability to use their hands. Such symptoms are a clear sign that something could be wrong so medical advice should be sought as soon as possible. Symptom #8: Trouble Finding Words Human beings have a very impressive vocabulary. We remember tens of thousands of words and are able to remember those words to use them at a whim. This allows us to speak in complex languages, and some people can even speak in multiple languages. Even people with a relatively limited vocabulary can still remember a surprising number of words. People with delirium, however, can have difficulty finding the words that they need. This can make it very difficult for them to communicate what they are thinking, and this can be very frustrating for them. This is in addition to other speaking problems such as slurred speech. It is no exaggeration to say that Americans (as well as most of the world) have been progressively and consistently “dumbed-down” over the last half-century or so. Part of that “dumbness” comes as a result of technology presenting information in the form of “pictures” ― television images, internet images, smartphone images, etc. In a certain sense we are regressing back to a second childhood or kindergarten―a time when we couldn’t read, nor could we think properly―but we loved pictures. That is why you have the predominance of pictures in early childhood books. Pictures replace words―and too much looking at pictures, where pictures replace words, leads to lack of vocabulary and lack of intellectual skill. People become “sheeple” and politicians just love their “sheeple”. Hence you have a government of the sheeple, by a few people, for the sheeple. Symptom #9: Paranoia It is sensible to keep your guard up to a degree. There is a chance that certain people might try to harm us, but some common sense will reduce the chances of anything bad happening considerably. For some people, though, it can feel like everybody is out to get them, even when nobody is. People with paranoia can feel as though other people are plotting behind their backs to hurt them. This can even include close friends and family, even if those people are only trying to help. Paranoia can occasionally lead to violent behavior as the patient feels they need to protect themselves from others. Is there such a thing as “political paranoia”? You bet there is! In fact, according to Robert Robins and Jerrold Post, experts in political psychology and authors of the book, Political Paranoia: The Psychopolitics of Hatred, paranoia is not an obscure mental state afflicting some individuals, but is a widespread condition of modern societies. Politicians can use the “paranoia tool” in a variety of ways to achieve their ends and goals. The classic political “cover-up” or “smoke-and-mirrors” trick is to label and smear all and any persons who “sniff-out” any corrupt or sinister dealings as being paranoid “conspiracy theorists.” The ridiculing and demonization of the “enemy” ― whether national or international ― is the general default position of American politics. In nearly every aspect of society and across cultures and time, ridicule works. Ridicule leverages the emotions and simplifies the complicated and takes on the powerful, in politics, business, law, entertainment, etc. Ridicule can tear down faster than the other side can rebuild. Many nasty and sinister things are successfully carried out behind the defensive wall of ridicule. Not all “conspiracy theories” are false theories―because there are conspiracies galore, from family, to business, to military matters and politics. The success of the “sinister” guys is to make the gullible public believe that all “conspiracy theories” are false and manifestations of paranoia. Symptom #10: Hallucinations Our sensory organs have evolved to be able to detect certain information around us. This information is then sent to the brain, which paints a picture of what is happening. It’s a system that works very well but it can sometimes go wrong. If the brain is not working properly, then the picture of the world it is painting can become very confused. Delirium can cause hallucinations. This means that the patient can see, hear, and even feel things that are just not there. It can be difficult for the patient to differentiate between what is real and what is not, and this can be made so much worse when accompanied by paranoia. Wow! Can you see the political delirium lurking behind those symptoms? We are about to enter a delirium pandemic as this 2020 U.S. Presidential Election takes off! That delirium is about to be fueled by the mainstream media which loves to make a mountain out of a molehill―and reduce a mountain to a mere molehill. The media―aided by the delirium merchants of politics―are about to launch the “delirium virus” on the gullible public and the symptoms are about to explode: distraction, rambling, sticking to ideas, disorientation, selective memory loss, seeing things that don’t exist, changing the reality of things, trouble concentrating on important things, trouble understanding things, hallucinations, etc. In this atmosphere, the bug of lies finds a most favorable platform to confuse the truth, hide the truth, twist the truth, deny the truth and destroy the truth. Political Delirium is a Patsy for Political Lies What is a “patsy”? A “patsy” is American slang for a gullible and weak-minded person. A “patsy” is a fool, usually a person that has good intentions but is deceived easily. That is what the mass of American voters are―manipulable patsies. The few who can and do think deeply, and can see past the political “smoke-and-mirrors” are just that―a few, very few―and a few votes matters little. The gullibility and naivety of the American masses has long been a talking point―there is no smoke without a fire. The progressive and relentless “dumbing-down” process of America has created a people that increasingly “think” with their emotions and feelings instead of thinking logically with their minds. More technically put―objectivity has been replaced by subjectivity, actual truth has been replaced by what an individual “feels” is the truth. Thus―if you can control and manipulate a person’s emotions and feelings, then you manipulate that person’s perceptions of truth. Or to put it another way, you can make that person believe that the truth is a lie, and then replace that real truth with your own lie, which you make out to be the “truth”. Thus truths become lies and lies become truth―good becomes evil and evil becomes good. “Woe to you that call evil good, and good evil: that put darkness for light, and light for darkness: that put bitter for sweet, and sweet for bitter” (Isaias 5:20). Yet that is what much of today’s politics does. Hence William Casey, CIA Director from 1981 to 1987, was able to say: “We’ll know our disinformation program is complete when everything the American public believes is false.” The Scientific American, in a June 15th 2017 article entitled “How to Address the Epidemic of Lies in Politics”, states: “Lying proved a very successful strategy for political causes and individual candidates in the U.K. and U.S. elections in 2016 … As such, it might seem ludicrous to many that we can solve the problem of lies in politics … The traditional mechanisms for identifying the truth about politics come from mainstream media and its fact checking. Polling shows, however, that trust in the mainstream media has dropped from around 50% to 32% from 2000 to 2016, and only 29% trust fact checking. No wonder fewer and fewer Americans are getting their news from mainstream media and engaging with fact checkers … Given the crumbling trust in traditional media and our vulnerability to lies on social media, we should not be surprised that politicians on both sides try to manipulate voters into believing lies. After all, the incentive for politicians is to get elected―not tell the truth. To be elected, politicians need to convey the appearance of trustworthiness—what talk show host Stephen Colbert infamously called “truthiness”―as opposed to being actually trustworthy.” Ultimately, when you reject Christ―Who said of Himself: “I am the Truth!”―then you automatically fall into the camp of Christ’s enemy, who is Satan or the devil, whom Christ called a liar. Thus, if politics rejects Christ or marginalizes Christ, or closets Christ―then it also rejects Christ’s love of truth, it marginalizes truth, it closets truth and begins to imitate the opposite of Christ, the devil, taking up the lying ways of the devil. Thus, Christ could justifiably say of most politicians today: “You are of your father the devil, and the desires of your father you will do. He was a murderer from the beginning, and he stood not in the truth; because truth is not in him. When he speaketh a lie, he speaketh of his own: for he is a liar, and the father of lies!” (John 8:44). The “dumber” we are, the more easily we fall for the lies. There is a growing and disturbing trend of anti-intellectual elitism in American culture. It’s the dismissal of science, the arts, and humanities and their replacement by entertainment, self-righteousness, ignorance, and deliberate gullibility. Many universities in the United States are known more for their athletics than their academics. Mainly, this is because the average person is more likely to watch or attend college sports than to read books. People prefer to play rather than study; they prefer being entertained more than being educated; having fun supersedes having knowledge. This overspills into the spiritual life―where people prefer to play rather than pray. Susan Jacoby, author of The Age of American Unreason, says in an article in the Washington Post, “Dumbness, to paraphrase the late senator Daniel Patrick Moynihan, has been steadily defined downward for several decades, by a combination of heretofore irresistible forces. These include the triumph of video culture over print culture; a disjunction between Americans’ rising level of formal education and their shaky grasp of basic geography, science and history; and the fusion of anti-rationalism with anti-intellectualism.” There has been a long tradition of anti-intellectualism in America, unlike most other Western countries. Richard Hofstadter, who won a Pulitzer Prize in 1964 for his book, Anti-Intellectualism In American Life, describes how the vast underlying foundations of anti-elite, anti-reason and anti-science have been infused into America’s political and social fabric. Famous science fiction writer Isaac Asimov once said: “There is a cult of ignorance in the United States, and there has always been. The strain of anti-intellectualism has been a constant thread winding its way through our political and cultural life, nurtured by the false notion that democracy means that my ignorance is just as good as your knowledge.” Mark Bauerlein, in his book, The Dumbest Generation, reveals how a whole generation of youth is being dumbed down by their aversion to reading anything of substance and their addiction to digital “crap” via social media. Journalist Charles Pierce, author of Idiot America, adds another perspective: “The rise of idiot America today represents ― for profit mainly, but also and more cynically, for political advantage in the pursuit of power ― the breakdown of a consensus that the pursuit of knowledge is a good. It also represents the ascendancy of the notion that the people whom we should trust the least are the people who best know what they are talking about. In the new media age, everybody is an expert.” “There’s a pervasive suspicion of rights, privileges, knowledge and specialization,” says Catherine Liu, the author of American Idyll: Academic Anti-Elitism as Cultural Critique and a film and media studies professor at University of California. The very mission of universities has changed, argues Liu. “We don’t educate people anymore. We train them to get jobs.” Such a scenario is a perfect scenario for political manipulation through lies, half-truths, exaggerations, misrepresentations, obfuscations and constitutional deviations. Having exchanged thinking and study for fun and entertainment―the “sheeple” are on the verge of being corralled and confined by increasingly totalitarian governments, whom the “sheeple” willingly and ignorantly elect to be their “shepherds”. When you reject Christ as shepherd, the only other options are found at the “low-end” of the market. When you reject the truth (that Christ is and teaches), then you automatically slither down the slope of lies in trying to justify your rejection of truth. Article 8
What Should True Catholics Do In This Election? Holy Scripture tells that whoever knows the right thing to do and fails to do it, for him it is a sin: “To him, therefore, who knoweth to do good, and doth it not, to him it is sin” (James 4:17). Being a true Catholic means more than just saying: “Lord! Lord!” ― “Why call you Me: ‘Lord! Lord!’ and do not the things which I say?” (Luke 6:46). “Everyone therefore that hears these My words, and does them, shall be likened to a wise man that built his house upon a rock! And the rain fell, and the floods came, and the winds blew, and they beat upon that house, and it fell not, for it was founded on a rock. And everyone that hears these My words, and does them not, shall be like a foolish man that built his house upon the sand. And the rain fell, and the floods came, and the winds blew, and they beat upon that house, and it fell, and great was the fall thereof!” (Matthew 7:24-27).
Catholics must remember that having the Faith is not enough―Hell is full of those who had the Faith! “Faith, if it has not works, is dead in itself. But some man will say: ‘You have Faith, and I have works!’ Show me your Faith without works; and I will show theeyou, by works, my Faith! You believe that there is one God. You do well―but the devils also believe and tremble. But will you know, O vain man, that Faith without works is dead? … For even as the body without the spirit is dead; so also Faith without works is dead!” (James 2:17-26). As the electoral wheels of theatrical propaganda began to churn once again, seeking to simultaneously entertain and bewitch the intellectually sleepy shallow minds of the manipulable masses, sucking them into a whirlpool of unchristian jibes, accusations, scandals, lies, false promises, etc. ― making the whole electoral process look like a humanized “Pavlov’s Dog Experiment” ― what can the Catholic do? What “works” can you do in preparation for this 2024 Presidential Election (providing that it takes place and there is no distracting and postponing event that suddenly breaks out―such as a war, civil unrest, civil war, or another super-pandemic created by men)? What “works” will work? Every Catholic will have their own subjective opinion and will follow their own subjective tendencies and predisposed preferences or biases. ► The Combative-Computer-Catholic will be guaranteed to scour the news and blogs, to make multiple opinionated posts, to forward lots of videos/articles/posts telling his or her e-mail list of contacts to “pass it on and make it go viral” ― as if there weren’t enough viruses floating around! This kind of Catholic is all-humanistic with little or no supernatural acumen or tactics. That humanistic zeal and self-confidence forgets that Our Lord said: “Without Me, you can do nothing!” (John 15:5) ― and so only human means and methods are used, while the supernatural means and methods are left aside and untried. Failure is inevitable―it always has been in the past, and always will be in the future. A lot of effort with very little or no real results. ► The Collecting-Catholic will also scour the news and blogs, collecting as much information about as many election related items as possible. This kind of Catholic becomes the proverbial “Jack of all trades, but master of none!” In other words, he ends up know a little about a lot of things―but knows a lot about very little. He ends up being the “two-bit” Catholic on election matters, full of “two-bit-phrases” and sensational superficial stories. Such a Catholic rarely digs beneath the surface of things and remains on the level of superficiality. Often the knowledge is isolated without “joining any dots” ― more a parrot than a thinker. They have no real ideas of their own, since they cannot penetrate and analyze things―they just repeat what is written by other or said by others. They collect the opinions of others. ► The Cerebral-Catholic is the reader, thinker, analyzer who thinks that the Faith is all about knowing the Faith and little else. The more they know, the better the Catholic they imagine themselves to be. Knowledge is power for them. They will fervently “talk the talk” but rarely will they “walk the walk”. The following words of Holy Scripture are especially applicable to them: “Faith, if it has not works, is dead in itself. But some man will say: ‘You have Faith, and I have works!’ Show me your Faith without works; and I will show you, by works, my Faith! You believe that there is one God. You dost well―but the devils also believe and tremble. But willl you know, O vain man, that Faith without works is dead? … For even as the body without the spirit is dead; so also Faith without works is dead!” (James 2:17-26). ► The Constipated-Catholic bears a close resemblance to the “Cerebral Catholic” in that much reading, study, thinking and analysis takes place―but nothing comes out from all this. It all stays “in the head” ― constipated, so to speak. These constipated Catholics and full of all kinds of knowledge but do nothing with it. It is almost like doing tons of research for an essay―and then never writing that essay. Or studying mechanics to understand how your car works―but then never fixing anything that goes wrong. To such a Catholic you can also apply the above quoted words of Scripture: “Faith, if it have not works, is dead in itself ... etc.” (James 2:17-26). ► The Conned-Catholic will gullibly gulp down all the official mainstream media fodder that is fed to gullible GOPS, or retard Republicans, or Demented Democrats. To these easily conned Catholics, the words of the media are like the Gospel, all of which is accepted blindly and without question. As William Casey, CIA Director from 1981 to 1987, said in 1982 to President Reagan: “We’ll know our disinformation program is complete when everything the American public believes is false.” Investigative journalist Jack Anderson, wrote in the September 22nd, 1981, Santa Cruz Sentinel discussing the troubling CIA disinformation campaign being waged against Americans. Anderson pointed out the CIA’s “triple assault on the public’s right to know” included (1) trying to shut-off channels of information to the electorate, (2) seeking criminal penalties against reporters whose stories might identify CIA operatives, and the third which Anderson called most troubling, (3) spreading “disinformation” to news agencies. ► The Clueless-Catholic never really thinks―he or she just votes. That is the “be-all and end-all” of the matter. They don’t really follow the issues, they will never penetrate the “smoke and mirrors” of politics, they just don’t understand or don’t want to understand. Talk to them about the politics in the election and they will just stare blankly and you will draw a blank for an answer―the only thing they know is how fill in the ballot card or voting card. That is as far as it goes. The words of Pope St. Pius X, in his encyclical, Acerbo Nimis, on the lamentable dangers of ignorance in matters of Faith, could be equally applied to the ignorance of most people about politics which leads to a failure to take correct measures to remedy the evils within politics. The Pope writes: “The enemy has long been prowling about the fold and attacking it with such subtle cunning …. The chief cause of the present serious evils is to be found above all in ignorance of things divine … There are large numbers of Christians in our own time who are entirely ignorant … A great number of those who are condemned to eternal punishment, suffer that everlasting calamity because of ignorance …” ► The Couldn’t-Care-Catholic basically is so immersed in the world or his or her own personal life with its obligations, hobbies, pastimes, socializing, etc., that there is no time and no inclination to “waste time” on the political field. Family life, work duties, social life and a bunch of other things are far more pressing or exciting than trying to get involved in the political sphere. The bottom-line attitude is one of “What can I do anyway?” and so they do nothing and care nothing about it. ► The Capitulating-Catholic may well care about what is happening in the political field, but he or she has a similar final attitude as the one above ― “What can I do anyway?” They are aware of the evils and agendas within politics. They are perhaps even well-read and very knowledgeable on many points ― but they are low on Faith and Hope, and easily fall into despair and hopelessness in their feelings of helplessness. Our Lady mentions this kind of person, saying: “There will be occasions when all will seem lost and paralyzed. People will believe that all is lost!” They are discouraged, demoralized and depressed―which is exactly how Satan wants them to be―for discouraged, demoralized and depressed will not look for and will not use the weapons that could defeat Satan and his human minions in the political arena. ► The Cynical-Catholic believing that people are motivated by self-interest; distrustful of human sincerity or integrity, is likely to be of the opinion that “all politicians are crooks” and has no trust for anyone. The cynical Catholic cannot believe that the political field is reformable and has written it all off as irredeemable. This cynicism leads to a kind of fatalism, which reasons that there is no way out of the evil stranglehold that current day politics has on the events in the world. Ultimately the cynical Catholic will end up being a capitulating Catholic. ► The Cowardly-Catholic might be a devout Catholic, even a fervent Catholic, or, on the contrary, a lukewarm Catholic. The cowardly Catholic knows what should be done―but does not want to suffer in any way by actually doing it. The cowardly Catholic would seek to “win the war” from the comfort of his or her armchair. They say―sarcastically―that best quarterbacks in football are the “armchair quarterbacks” sitting in front of their TV screens, who see all, know all, tell you all―but have done nothing. You could call them “Couch-Potato-Catholics” ― all talk, no action. They are quick to pontificate about the pope, pick-to-pieces political plans, paddywhack presidents and pound politicians―but they are afraid to put into practice the solutions that Heaven has provided, because extra prayers, penances and sacrifices call for too much effort. They do not want to get out the armchair, enter the fight and be in the “line of fire” or on the “front-line” ― at best, they might become timorous back-seat drivers, whose fearfulness will never inspire courage in others. ► The Chameleon-Catholic is the “please everyone” type of Catholic, who is the bad version of the Old Testament Joseph with his coat of many colors. The chameleon Catholic, like all true Liberals, will change his tune often and whistle what others like to hear, or will change his coat to suit the company he finds himself―like the proverbial “turncoat” or traitor, who shifts allegiance from one loyalty or ideal to another, betraying or deserting an original cause by switching to the opposing side or party. Too much human respect and not enough respect for God is the problem. ► The Complacent-Catholic is the eternal optimist who fails to realize that Hell is full of eternal optimists who are no longer very optimistic. The complacent Catholic imagines a lot of things―and the key word is “imagines”, for imagination is not reality. The complacent Catholic imagines that since Our Lady has promised that her Immaculate Heart will triumph―then there is nothing for the complacent Catholic to do except sit on bleachers (grandstand seats) and happily watch the spectacle. The complacent Catholic forgets to “Fight the good fight of Faith” (1 Timothy 6:12) because “the Kingdom of Heaven suffereth violence, and the violent bear it away” (Matthew 11:12). Forgetting too that Sister Lucia of Fatima said: “the devil is engaging in a battle with the Virgin―a decisive battle. It is a final battle where one party will be victorious and the other will suffer defeat. So, from now on, we are either with God or we are with the Devil―there is no middle ground” (Sr. Lucia of Fatima to Fr. Fuentes, December 26th, 1957). There is no “middle-ground”―meaning there can be no spectators. Yes―Mary will win―but she needs fighters, as she said at La Salette: “I make an urgent appeal to the Earth! I call on the true disciples of the living God! I call on the true followers of Christ! I call on my children, the true faithful! I call on the Apostles of the Last Days! It is time they came out and filled the world with light! Go and reveal yourselves to be my cherished children! I am at your side and within you, provided that your Faith is the light which shines upon you in these unhappy days! May your zeal make you famished for the glory and the honor of Jesus Christ! Fight, children of light, you, the few who can see! For now is the time of all times, the end of all ends!” ► The Cocksure-Catholic is not short on courage, but is short of common sense. As the proverb says: “Fools rush in where angels fear to tread!” The courage of the cocksure Catholic is more often than not based on his or her own power, knowledge, skills and experience. They rely more on their human abilities than upon God’s help―which becomes secondary or superficial. They almost seem to say: “Hey, Lord! Why don’t you sit down and take a back seat! We don’t want you to get in the way or to get hurt! Leave this to us!” They either forget or ignore Our Lord’s words: “Without Me, you can do nothing!” (John 15:5). They boldly march into battle with their sword of pride, but having left behind their shield of humility. St. Peter shows this trait in Garden of Gethsemane, when, at the arrest of Jesus, he confidently draws out his sword―even though he is heavily outnumbered―and is ready to fight it out. Yet the cocksure Peter would later deny Christ three times before the cock would crow three times. “Jesus said to him: ‘Amen I say to thee, that in this night, before the cock crows twice, thou wilt deny Me thrice!’ Peter said to Him: ‘Yea, though I should die with Thee, I will not deny Thee!” (Matthew 26:34-25). That cocky attitude would turn to humility at cockcrow. “And Peter remembered the word of Jesus which He had said: ‘Before the cock crow, thou wilt deny Me thrice!’ And going forth, he wept bitterly!” (Matthew 26:75). In these current battles of Church and State, of nation with nation, of patriot with traitor―if we rely upon ourselves, our own knowledge, power, skill and experience―then, as in the case of Peter, it will all end in tears. ► The Conquering-Catholic is the humble Soldier of Christ, who knows that without the help of Heaven and grace―all will be lost. The conquering Catholics trusts in the words of God in Holy Scripture: “For whatsoever is born of God, overcomes the world! And this is the victory which overcomes the world―our Faith!” (1 John 5:4). “Fear them not―for the Lord your God will fight for you!” (Deuteronomy 3:22). “They shall be as mighty men, treading underfoot the mire of the ways in battle. And they shall fight because the Lord is with them” (Zacharias 10:5). “Put not your trust in princes” (Psalm 145:2). “Trust not thyself!” (Ecclesiasticus 7:28). “I will not trust in my bow; neither shall my sword save me!” (Psalm 43:7). “In God I have put my trust! I will not fear what flesh can do against me!” (Psalm 55:5). “In Thee, O my God, I put my trust! Let me not be brought to shame!” (Psalm 24:2). The conquering Catholic will realize that in the many crises that surround us, “our wrestling is not against flesh and blood; but against principalities and powers, against the rulers of the world of this darkness, against the spirits of wickedness in the high places” (Ephesians 6:12). “This kind can go out by nothing, but by prayer and fasting” (Mark 9:28). Realizing these things, the Conquering Catholic heartily takes up the cross of Christ to follow Him on the road to victory over self and the world―which is the Road of the Cross, or the Way of Cross, the narrow way, or narrow gate that leads to Heaven and triumph. “And Jesus said to all: ‘If any man will come after Me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross daily, and follow Me!” (Luke 9:23). “And whosoever does not carry his cross and come after Me, cannot be My disciple!” (Luke 14:27). “And he that takes not up his cross to follow Me, is not worthy of Me!” (Matthew 10:38). The cross of Christ encompasses the fasting, the penances, the sacrifices and the proof of love that is required to overcome this world and reach Heaven. It is that cross of Christ that requires separation from the world and a renunciation of friendship with the world―for the world is an enemy to God: “My kingdom is not of this world ... My kingdom is not from hence!” (John 18:36). To the worldlings He says: “You are from beneath, I am from above. You are of this world, I am not of this world!” (John 8:23). To His followers He says: “If you had been of the world, the world would love its own; but because you are not of the world, for I have chosen you out of the world, therefore the world hates you!” (John 15:19). “If the world hates you, know ye, that it has hated Me before you!” (John 15:18). “The world hates Me because I give testimony of it, that the works of the world are evil!” (John 7:7). “Lay not up to yourselves treasures on Earth, but lay up to yourselves treasures in Heaven. For where thy treasure is, there is thy heart also … No man can serve two masters. For either he will hate the one, and love the other; or he will sustain the one, and despise the other. You cannot serve God and mammon!” (Matthew 6:19-24). “Adulterers! Know you not that the friendship of this world is the enemy of God? Whosoever therefore will be a friend of this world, becomes an enemy of God!” (James 4:4). “We have received not the spirit of this world, but the Spirit that is of God; so that we may know the things that are given us from God! … Use this world, as if [you] used it not: for the fashion of this world passes away!” (1 Corinthians 2:12; 7:31). “Love not the world, nor the things which are in the world. If any man loves the world, the charity of the Father is not in him!” (1 John 2:15). “Bear not the yoke with unbelievers! What fellowship has light with darkness? And what concord has Christ with Belial? Or what part have the faithful with the unbeliever? And what agreement has the temple of God with idols? For you are the temple of the living God! As God says: ‘I will dwell in them, and walk among them; and I will be their God, and they shall be My people!’ Wherefore, ‘Go out from among them, and be ye separate!’ says the Lord” (2 Corinthians 6:14-17). Christ came into the world to save the world from the world. He has compassion on the world: “For God so loved the world, as to give His only begotten Son; that whosoever believes in Him, may not perish, but may have life everlasting. For God sent not His Son into the world, to judge the world, but that the world may be saved by Him” (John 3:16-17). “Who will have all men to be saved, and to come to the knowledge of the truth” (1 Timothy 2:4). “I came not to judge the world, but to save the world” (John 12:47), so that “all the world may be made subject to God” (Romans 3:19). Yet, even though Christ had compassion for the world, He did not have compassion for the spirit of worldliness. He came to extract us from the world, not to cement us in the world. “This is the judgment―because the light is come into the world, and men loved darkness rather than the light―for their works were evil” (John 3:19). “Jesus spoke to them, saying: ‘I am the light of the world! He that follows Me, walks not in darkness!’” (John 8:12). “He was in the world, and the world was made by Him, and the world knew Him not … He came unto His own, and His own received Him not … the light shone in darkness, and the darkness did not comprehend it” (John 1:5-11). God loved the world, but the world hated God and preferred evil pleasures: “The world cannot hate you; but Me it hates―because I give testimony of it, that the works of the world are evil” (John 7:7). “If the world hates you, know ye, that it has hated Me before you … If you had been of the world, the world would love its own: but because you are not of the world, and because I have chosen you out of the world, therefore the world hates you” (John 15:19). “Blessed are they that suffer persecution for the sake of justice―for theirs is the Kingdom of heaven. Blessed are ye when they shall revile you, and persecute you, and speak all that is evil against you, untruly, for My sake! Be glad and rejoice, for your reward is very great in Heaven! For so they persecuted the prophets that were before you!” (Matthew 5:10-12). The Conquering Catholic feeds upon such words of Holy Scripture, knowing full well that “Not in bread alone does man live, but in every word that proceeds from the mouth of God” (Matthew 4:4) and he finds his weapons in those words of God, since “the word of God is living and effectual, and more piercing than any two-edged sword” (Hebrews 4:12), therefore “take unto you the helmet of salvation, and the sword of the Spirit―which is the word of God” (Ephesians 6:17). “And out of His mouth proceeds a sharp two-edged sword―so that with it He may strike the nations” (Apocalypse 19:15). The world is a lying world, an untruthful world, a fake world―just like its prince, the devil, the father of lies. The Conquering Catholic goes into battle against the world armed with words and truths of Christ ringing in his ears: “Be not afraid of them who kill the body, and after that have no more that they can do. But I will show you Whom you shall fear! Fear ye Him, Who, after He has killed, has the power to cast into Hell. Yea, I say to you, fear Him!” (Luke 12:4-5). “Without Me, you can do nothing! … Teach ye all nations; baptizing them in the Name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost. Teaching them to observe all things whatsoever I have commanded you … He that hears you, hears Me; and he that despises you, despises Me; and he that despises Me, despises Him that sent Me” (John 15:5; Matthew 28:19-20; Luke 10:16). “Follow not that which is evil, but that which is good. He that does good, is of God! He that does evil, has not seen God” (3 John 1:11). “Hating that which is evil, cleaving to that which is good … Be not overcome by evil, but overcome evil by good!” (Romans 12:9, 21). “Let no man deceive you! He that does justice, is just―even as Christ is just. He that commits sin, is of the devil―for the devil sinned from the beginning” (1 John 3:7-8). Article 7
Presidents or Puppets? Election or Selection? Political Chess or Satanic Chess? Are Politicians Wolves or Sheep―Serpents or Doves?
Are Presidents Puppets? Elected or Selected? The problem with most good people is that they are too trusting. Normally, that would be a good thing and a normal thing―for we are inherently born to trust. We trust our parents from the very beginning―we have no reason to distrust them. Children of Protestant parents trust and believe that what their parents tell them about their Protestantism being the right religion and Catholicism being, in effect, the Whore of Babylon and a work of the devil―and God allows that to happen! We are made by God to trust, we like to trust and we do trust―but sometimes our trust brings terrible consequences. Even though we were made to trust―we also have to be discerning and prudent. As Our Lord says: “Behold―I send you as sheep in the midst of wolves. Be ye, therefore, wise as serpents and simple as doves!” (Matthew 10:16). “Beware of false prophets―who come to you in the clothing of sheep, but inwardly they are ravening wolves” (Matthew 7:15). You could as well say: “Behold―I send you as sheep in the midst of political wolves. Be ye, therefore, wise as serpents and simple as doves!” (Matthew 10:16). “Beware of false politicians―who come to you in the clothing of a shepherd, but inwardly they are ravening wolves” (Matthew 7:15). Personally, there is someone more believable than any or many a politician (or wolf, or serpent)―and that is Our Lady. While this or that politician might tell us one thing or another―Our Lady tells us: “From the end of the 19th century and especially in the 20th century, Satan will reign almost completely by means of the Masonic sects [and take note that Scripture backs this up: “Satan shall be loosed out of his prison, and shall go forth, and seduce the nations, which are over the four quarters of the Earth” (Apocalypse 20:7)] ... During this epoch the Church will find herself attacked by terrible assaults from the Masonic sect … These years, during which the evil sect of Masonry will take control of the civil government, will see a cruel persecution of all religious communities … All the civil governments will have one and the same plan, which will be to abolish and do away with every religious principle, to make way for materialism, atheism, spiritualism and vice of all kinds. They will abolish civil rights, as well as ecclesiastical rights. All order and all justice will be trampled underfoot and only homicides, hate, jealousy, lies and dissension will be seen, without love for country or family.” We are now in the 21st century and it certainly looks that Our Lady was right―even though the Masons do not walk around wearing a T-Shirt saying: “I am a Freemason and I want you to know it!” The unbelievable worldwide coordination and evil manipulation of people and organizations in the recent Con-all-a-virus Plannedemic by all governments, by medical authorities and many other organizations within each nation, would be near impossible without a Masonic substrata and its interconnecting roots and branches―for their tentacles reach into all the major positions of authority and influence throughout the chief nations. Let it be said, though, that Masonry is still merely a puppet that is under control of the “higher-ups” or “puppet-masters” in Satan’s recruited hierarchy. On that point, it is well worth quoting the recently deceased former chief exorcist of Rome, Fr. Gabriele Amorth, on the connection between Satan and those in positions of authority, such as politicians and business leaders: “The smoke of Satan has entered everywhere. Everywhere! Satanism is on the increase. Today Satan rules the world. The masses no longer believe in God. Evil exists in politics―quite often in fact! And, yes, Satan is in the Vatican! The devil resides in the Vatican. I have no doubt about the fact that the demon tempts the authorities of the Church especially―just as he tempts every authority, those of politics and industry. Everybody is vulnerable to the work of Satan! The devil loves to take over business leaders and those who hold political office!” What’s the Goal? What’s the “End-Game”? The stooges of Satan recently came out of the woodwork before our own very eyes―the recent Pandemic (with promises of more to come), the Pandemic regulations, the lockdowns, the loss of life, the job losses, the wounded and soon to be crashing economy, the arm-twisting mandatory Covid vaccinations, the threat of mandatory electronic ID implementations on the body of everyone, the push for a digitized money cashless society, the contentious 2020 Presidential Election, the accusations of fraud and treason, the polarization of people over a variety of issues, the provocation of civil unrest, the riots, the looting, the burning of buildings and cars, the violence, the killings―all of these are not the ultimate “Goal” nor the “End Game” of those who are in the process of creating and manipulating these scenarios. All of the above are merely chess-moves that are leading to the proverbial “checkmate”. Chess Over Souls We are not playing “chess” against mere humans―but we are playing “chess” against Satan. You could take Sister Lucia of Fatima’s words about Satan fighting a final battle against the Blessed Virgin Mary and put it into a “chess” context. Our Lady (being white) has her “pieces” in this world ― Satan (being black) has his “pieces” in this world. We should be “moved” by Our Lady just as evil men are “moved” by Satan. Since the “chess masters” ― Our Lady and Satan ― are way beyond us in power, intelligence and skill, we should not proudly presume to move ourselves, but humbly wait to moved when and where Our Lady wants us moved. The “Goal” or the “End Game” is to either “checkmate” Christ the King, or to “checkmate” Satan. Just as in a game of chess, the more pieces of your opponent that you capture, the more exposed and weaker your opponent’s king becomes―so too in the “Spiritual Chess Game”. The more souls that Satan can capture, the weaker and more fragile becomes the Social Reign of Christ the King. As Fr. Amorth said above: “The demon tempts the authorities of the Church especially [which we could compare to the Queen and Bishops in chess]―just as he tempts every authority, those of politics and industry [which we could compare to the Rooks (crooks?) and Knights in chess]. Everybody is vulnerable to the work of Satan! The devil loves to take over business leaders and those who hold political office!” Satan wants all the “pieces” so the “King” on the chessboard (Christ) is left all alone. On the other hand, Our Lady wants all of Satan’s pieces in order to convert them to Christ. Satan, knowing that he cannot destroy Christ (even though he would wish to do so if he could), satisfies himself with destroying and dragging down to Hell as many souls as he possibly can―regardless of whether are Catholics, Protestants, Pagans, Atheists or whatever. Satan wants them all. That is the “Goal” or the “End-Game” ― and everything else is merely a “chess-move” that he hopes will lead to a “checkmate” on every single soul. Chess and Deception Just because all the chess pieces visible and in full view, leads to a common misconception that chess does not contain deception. On the contrary, chess is essentially a game of deception and trickery―you do not win by making your intentions obvious―instead you disguise your intentions, create distractions with some pieces, and deliberately sacrifice other pieces. It is a game of deception and decoy; of contrivances to convince your opponent to believe you intend to do X, while all the while planning to do Y. All this is done with the intention of fooling your opponent into thinking that you are going to do one thing―whereas you really intend to do something different. The possibility for deception arises by preying on the beliefs of your opponent and presenting them with the opportunity of deceiving themselves. Satan is the ultimate deceiver―he deceived Eve into eating the forbidden fruit and thus disobeying God―and he has continued his deceptive moves ever since then, “checkmating” most souls by his deceptions, decoys and distractions. If you could say such a thing, then Satan has found a paradise on Earth in politics. It has come to the point where you almost have to have deception built into your DNA in order to get into politics―or at least in order to rise to the higher levels of politics. Here, we need to remind ourselves of the boastful words of William Casey, CIA Director from 1981 to 1987, allegedly boasted to the newly elected President Reagan in February of 1981: “We’ll know our disinformation program is complete when everything the American public believes is false.” That deceptive political and governmental trait reflects Satan―the ultimate deceiver. The deceptive “chess moves” of Satan are far beyond the meager and ever-weakening intelligence of modern man. To face Satan at the “chessboard of life”, all alone and without assistance and coaching, is like an 8-year-old child trying to play against a world Chess Master. No contest! A pushover! That is where we need to remember the humbling and blunt words of Holy Scripture and Our Lord: “Be sober and watch―because your adversary the devil, as a roaring lion, goeth about seeking whom he may devour!” (1 Peter 5:8). “Without Me, you can do nothing!” (John 15:5). “The things that are impossible with men, are possible with God!” (Luke 18:27). The deceptive “chess moves” of Satan are far beyond the meager and ever-weakening intelligence of modern man. To face Satan at the “chessboard of life”, all alone and without assistance and coaching, is like an 8-year-old child trying to play against a world Chess Master. No contest! A pushover! That is where we need to remember the humbling and blunt words of Holy Scripture and Our Lord: “Be sober and watch―because your adversary the devil, as a roaring lion, goeth about seeking whom he may devour!” (1 Peter 5:8). “Without Me, you can do nothing!” (John 15:5). “The things that are impossible with men, are possible with God!” (Luke 18:27). On the other hand, one could also say: “The deceptions that are impossible with men, are possible with Satan!” and you could also have Satan saying: “Without me, your deceptions will be like nothing!” With his evil angelic intellect, Satan can come up with ploys, decoys, distractions and deceptions that are way beyond our imaginative powers. If St. Paul writes of God: “Eye hath not seen, nor ear heard, neither hath it entered into the heart of man, what things God hath prepared for them that love Him” (1 Corinthians 2:9) ― then we could also say: “Eye hath not seen, nor ear heard, neither hath it entered into the heart of man, what deceptions Satan is prepared to create for those that work for him.” It would not be a far-fetched statement to say that Satan has had a great part to play in the creation of modern technology. Why? How can you say that? Well, because, as Our Lord says: “Beware of false prophets, who come to you in the clothing of sheep, but inwardly they are ravening wolves! By their fruits you shall know them! Do men gather grapes from thorns, or figs from thistles? Every good tree bringeth forth good fruit, and the evil tree bringeth forth evil fruit. A good tree cannot bring forth evil fruit, neither can an evil tree bring forth good fruit … Wherefore by their fruits you shall know them!” (Matthew 7:15-18). The fruits of most of modern technology are pulling people away from God, away from prayer, away from spiritual exercises, away from a spirit of mortification and sacrifice―instead they spend precious hours in front of their various idols―television screen, computer screen, tablet screen, smartphone screen―but in church or at prayer they are rarely seen! Let us turn for a moment from the deceptions of Satan to the deceptions of that hidden Catholic of the Protestant Reformation, William Shakespeare―who, besides deceiving the authorities as to his adherence to Catholicism, also wrote of deception in some of his many famous and celebrated plays. In one such play―Hamlet― Shakespeare has Queen Gertrude say the line: “The lady doth protest too much, methinks!” The play―Hamlet― depicts Prince Hamlet seeking revenge against his uncle, Claudius, who has murdered Hamlet’s father in order to seize his throne and marry Hamlet’s mother―Queen Gertrude. Hamlet―believing that his father, the king, was murdered by his uncle Claudius―decides to stage a play, the Murder of Gonzago, that follows a very similar sequence of events that led to the murder of his father, in order to test whether viewing the play will trigger a guilty conscience on the part of Claudius. As Hamlet, Gertrude, Claudius and others watch the ‘play-within-the-play’, the Player Queen, representing Queen Gertrude, declares in flowery language that she will never remarry if her husband dies. Hamlet then turns to his mother and asks her: “Madam, how like you this play?”, to which Queen Gertrude replies ironically: “The lady doth protest too much, methinks!” ― meaning that the Player Queen’s protestations of love and fidelity are too excessive to be believed. Is that what could be said of the political leaders and the media in the current Presidential Election turmoil and crisis―or could it be said “Presidential Play Acting Crisis”? Sometimes truth is stranger than fiction! Is there too much “protestation” going on from both sides? “The candidates doth protest too much, methinks!” A little too much of the theatrical? A little too much of the hyperbole? A little too much of stirring-up the watching audience? Are they putting on a show―a “play-within-a-play”? Perhaps. If so, then why? For what purpose? To what goal? It’s Not About Trump and Harris Trump and Harris, with their Presidential Election Sideshow, are just that and no more―a sideshow, or, as in the play Hamlet, merely a “play-within-a-play”. It is highly likely―and you may find this highly contentious―that Trump and Harris are merely the supporting cast, chosen to play-out this dramatic scene that is merely a tiny part of the bigger play that is going on. Do you really imagine and think that Trump and Harris are key players on the world’s political scene? The uncanny, unprecedented, previously unimaginable seamless worldwide unity in recently locking down the world in the face of the over-exaggerated and largely falsified and falsely represented Covid-19 virus―shows that most of the world high ranking politicians are in the “back-pocket” of the “higher-ups” or whatever other name you wish to give them. Ultimately, there are only two chief Globalists operating in the world―and they are not who you think they are! The first Globalist is Christ and other Globalist is Satan―both want to establish a “one world government” and rule over all peoples and nations. Anyone else and everyone else merely is an ‘employee’ of Christ or Satan. Of Christ―the Son of man―Holy Scripture says: “In the days of those kingdoms, the God of Heaven will set up a Kingdom that shall never be destroyed, and His Kingdom shall not be delivered up to another people, and it shall break in pieces, and shall consume all these kingdoms, and itself shall stand for ever! … The Son of man came … and He [God] gave Him [the Son of man] power, and glory, and a Kingdom―and all peoples, tribes and tongues shall serve Him. His power is an everlasting power that shall not be taken away; and His Kingdom shall not be destroyed.” (Daniel 2:44; 7:13-14). Our Lord Himself claimed power over all the Earth: “And Jesus spoke to them, saying: ‘All power is given to Me in Heaven and in Earth. Going, therefore, teach ye all nations―baptizing them in the Name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost―teaching them to observe all things whatsoever I have commanded you” (Matthew 28:18-20). “Other sheep I have, that are not of this fold―them also I must bring―and they shall hear my voice, and there shall be one fold and one shepherd” (John 10:16). Concerning Satan, Holy Scripture says: “That great dragon, that old serpent, who is called the devil and Satan―who seduceth the whole world―was cast unto the earth, and his angels were thrown down with him” (Apocalypse 12:9). Earth is his “princedom” and Our Lord calls Satan the “prince of this world” ― “The prince of this world cometh, and in Me he hath not anything … The prince of this world is already judged ... Now shall the prince of this world be cast out!” (John 12:31; 16:11; 14:30). Satan now prowls about the world seeking its damnation―as an act of revenge in order to prevent gaining the Heaven that Satan had lost: “Your adversary the devil, as a roaring lion, goeth about seeking whom he may devour!” (1 Peter 5:8) ― and he prefers do “devour” or possess those who are in authority, because their power and influence will be useful in capturing the common people beneath them―just as in the Catholic principle: “Convert the king and you will convert the people!” As the former chief exorcist of Rome, Fr. Gabriele Amorth said: “The demon tempts the authorities of the Church especially―just as he tempts every authority, those of politics and industry. Everybody is vulnerable to the work of Satan! The devil loves to take over business leaders and those who hold political office!” The devil even tried to tempt and recruit Jesus during the forty day and nights of fasting and prayer by Jesus in the desert, after which “the devil took Him [Jesus] up into a very high mountain, and showed Him all the kingdoms of the world, and the glory of them, and said to Him: ‘All these will I give Thee, if, falling down, Thou wilt adore me!’ Then Jesus said to him: ‘Begone, Satan! For it is written: ‘The Lord thy God shalt thou adore, and Him only shalt thou serve!’” (Matthew 4:8-10). Though Satan failed to recruit Jesus, he has, nevertheless, recruited most kings, princes, presidents, rulers and governors. Holy Scripture says: “The kings of the Earth stood up, and the princes met together, against the Lord and against His Christ, [saying]: Let us break their bonds asunder: and let us cast away their yoke from us!” (Psalm 2:2-3) ― today, the Holy Ghost―the author of those words, just as He the author of all of Holy Scripture―today, He would be called a “Conspiracy Theorist” for saying that, and the “Fact Checkers” would try to prove Him wrong. Wild Unsubstantiated Crazy Conspiracy Theory? The “New World Order” is no conspiracy theory―President George H. Bush openly spoke of it before the Senate in his speech about the Persian Gulf Crisis, on September 11th, 1990: “The crisis in the Persian Gulf, as grave as it is, also offers a rare opportunity to move toward an historic period of cooperation. Out of these troubled times, our fifth objective — a New World Order — can emerge: a new era!” Already back in 19th century, the British Prime Minister, Benjamin Disraeli, stated: “So you see, my dear Coningsby, that the world is governed by very different personages from what is imagined by those who are not behind the scenes” (Benjamin Disraeli, 1804-1881, British Prime Minister from 1874 to 1880). Around the same time, it was Baron Nathan Mayer de Rothschild (1840-1915) who said: “I care not what puppet is placed on the throne of England to rule the British Empire on which the sun never sets. The man that controls Britain’s money supply controls the British Empire, and I control the British money supply.” What was true of the British Empire is equally true of the U.S. Empire, controlled remotely by the London based Elite through the Federal Reserve System. A little later, U.S. President Woodrow Wilson stated: “Since I entered politics, I have chiefly had men’s views confided to me privately. Some of the biggest men in the United States, in the field of commerce and manufacture, are afraid of something. They know that there is a power somewhere so organized, so subtle, so watchful, so interlocked, so complete, so pervasive, that they better not speak above their breath when they speak in condemnation of it” (Woodrow Wilson, 1856-1924, 28th President of the United States from 1913 to 1921). Around the same time, Winston Churchill, who was eventually “bored by it all,” wrote around 1920: “From the days of Spartacus-Weishaupt to those of Karl Marx, to those of Trotsky, Bela Kun, Rosa Luxembourg, and Emma Goldman, this world wide conspiracy for the overthrow of civilization and reconstitution of society on the basis of arrested development, of envious malevolence and impossible equality, has been steadily growing. It played a definitely recognizable role in the tragedy of French Revolution. It has been the mainspring of every subversive movement during the nineteenth century, and now at last, this band of extraordinary personalities from the underworld of the great cities of Europe and America have gripped the Russian people by the hair of their heads, and have become practically the undisputed masters of that enormous empire.” (Winston Churchill, 1874-1965, twice British Prime Minister from 1940 to 1945, and from 1951 to 1955). Over 20 years later, when he was the British Prime Minister during World War II, Churchill referred to the existence of a “High Cabal” that had brought about unprecedented bloodshed in human history. Churchill is also said to have remarked about the Elite: “They have transported Lenin in a sealed truck like a plague bacillus from Switzerland into Russia…” (quoted by John Coleman in The Tavistock Institute of Human Relations, Global Publications 2006). In 1961 the U.S. President John F. Kennedy (JFK) announced in front of the media: “The word ‘secrecy’ is repugnant in a free and open society, and we are as a people, inherently and historically opposed to secret societies, secret oaths and secret proceedings. For we are opposed around the world by a monolithic and ruthless conspiracy, that relies primarily on covert means for expanding its sphere of influence. It depends on infiltration instead of invasion, on subversion instead of elections, on intimidation instead of free choice. It is a system which has conscripted vast human and material resources into the building of a tightly knit, highly efficient machine that combines military, diplomatic, intelligence, economic, scientific, and political operations. Its preparations are concealed, not published, its mistakes are buried, not headlined, and its dissenters are silenced, not praised, no expenditure is questioned, no secret revealed… I am asking your help in the tremendous task of informing and alerting the American people.” Secret societies, secret oaths, secret proceedings, infiltration, subversion, intimidation ― these are the words used by JFK! On June 4th, 1963, JFK ordered the printing of Treasury dollar bills instead of Federal Reserve notes (Executive Order 11110). He also ordered that once these had been printed, the Federal Reserve notes would be withdrawn, and the Treasury bills put into circulation. A few months later (November 22nd, 1963) he was killed in broad daylight in front of the whole world ― his brains blown out. Upon assumption of power, his successor, President Lyndon Johnson, immediately reversed the order to switch to Treasury bills―showing very clearly one of the reasons why JFK was murdered. Another order of JFK, to militarily disengage from the Far East by withdrawing U.S. “advisors” from Vietnam, was also immediately reversed after his death. After the Cuban crisis, JFK wanted peaceful non-confrontational co-existence with the Soviet Union―and that meant no wars in the world. He knew the next war would be nuclear and there would be no winners. The defense industry and the banks―that make money from war―belong to the Elite. The Elite subscribes to a dialectical Hegelian philosophy, as pointed out by Antony Sutton, under which they bring about ‘controlled conflict’. The two World Wars were ‘controlled conflicts’! Their arrogance, their ceaseless energy, their focus, their utter disregard for human life, their ability to plan decades in advance, to act on that planning, and their continual success are staggering and faith-shaking. Statements by men like Disraeli, Wilson, Churchill, JFK and others should not leave any doubt in the mind of the reader about who controls the world. President Franklin Delano Roosevelt wrote in November 1933 to Colonel Edward House: “The real truth of the matter is―as you and I know―that a financial element, in the larger centers, has owned the government since the days of Andrew Jackson.” It may be recalled that Andrew Jackson, U.S. President from 1829-1837, was so enraged by the tactics of bankers (Rothschilds) that he said: “You are a den of vipers. I intend to rout you out and by the Eternal God I will rout you out! If the people only understood the rank injustice of our money and banking system, there would be a revolution before morning!” Article 6
Are You Caught-Up in the Hype? They say that whoever controls the money, also controls the world. The German Jewish banker and the founder of the Rothschild banking dynasty, often referred to as a “founding father of international finance,” Mayer Amschel Rothschild (1744-1812), once said: “Let me issue and control a nation’s money and I care not who writes the laws!” Many years later, Henry Kissinger, a friend of the Rothschild’s, and former U.S. Secretary of State and National Security Advisor under the presidents Nixon and Ford, also said: “Who controls the food supply controls the people; who controls the energy can control whole continents; who controls money can control the world!” As they say, “Money talks!” He who has the most money, gets to talk the most. People tend to “listen” to money. Those with the most money have the strongest influence on the actions and decisions of people in politics.
Similarly, you may have heard it said that “Knowledge is power!” ― but money has more power, for it can buy knowledge, control knowledge, reformat knowledge, change knowledge (that is to say, change truth) and then re-sell that knowledge (changed truth, or call it what it really is―a lie) to all the unwitting ignorant dupes who indiscriminately crave that knowledge―without really knowing what it is that they know! He who controls the money, controls the media―and the mainstream media (MSM) is the modern-day “supermarket” of knowledge. There are still some “mom-and-pop” “corner-stores” media outlets―but they are a minor minority, not many people “shop” there for their knowledge, and the MSM (mainstream media) label such “corner-store” news outlets as being “dangerous” “conspiracy theorists” and seek to isolate, discredit and even drive them out of the knowledge “business”. Psychologists tell you that people have more and more trust in a message or statement the more and more times they hear it. Hence, the words of the media quickly become like the Gospel, all of which is accepted blindly and without question. As William Casey, CIA Director from 1981 to 1987, said in 1982 to President Reagan: “We’ll know our disinformation program is complete when everything the American public believes is false.” Investigative journalist Jack Anderson―a contemporary of CIA Director William Casey―wrote are article in the September 22nd, 1981, Santa Cruz Sentinel, discussing the troubling CIA disinformation campaign being waged against Americans. Anderson pointed out the CIA’s “triple assault on the public’s right to know” included (1) trying to shut-off channels of information to the electorate, (2) seeking criminal penalties against reporters whose stories might identify CIA operatives, and the third which Anderson called most troubling, (3) spreading “disinformation” to news agencies. The Scientific American, in a June 15th 2017 article entitled “How to Address the Epidemic of Lies in Politics”, states: “Lying proved a very successful strategy for political causes and individual candidates in the U.K. and U.S. elections in 2016 … As such, it might seem ludicrous to many that we can solve the problem of lies in politics … The traditional mechanisms for identifying the truth about politics come from mainstream media and its fact checking. Polling shows, however, that trust in the mainstream media has dropped from around 50% to 32% from 2000 to 2016, and only 29% trust fact checking. No wonder fewer and fewer Americans are getting their news from mainstream media and engaging with fact checkers … Given the crumbling trust in traditional media and our vulnerability to lies on social media, we should not be surprised that politicians on both sides try to manipulate voters into believing lies. After all, the incentive for politicians is to get elected―not tell the truth. To be elected, politicians need to convey the appearance of trustworthiness—what talk show host Stephen Colbert infamously called “truthiness”―as opposed to being actually trustworthy.” A Gallup Poll conducted in 2023 reported that only 32% of Americans say they trust the mass media “a great deal” or “a fair amount” to report the news in a full, fair and accurate way―which ties Gallup’s lowest historical reading, previously recorded in 2016. Another 29% of U.S. adults have “not very much” trust in the mainstream media. While a record-high 39% registered “none at all.” Do not for one minute think that the lies, misinformation, disinformation or “fake news”―as the latest fashion tends to call it―rests solely in the lap of the politicians. No sirrreee! The politicians, for the most part, are mere puppets (witting or unwitting) of “higher-ups” who “call the shots” and “write the scripts”. It is, once again, money that talks. The money men are not only the puppet masters of most politicians, they are also the ventriloquists of the politicians. The politicians often open the mouth and look to be talking―but the words come from the ventriloquists. “What?” you say, “Do you really believe that? That’s just conspiracy theory garbage!” Discrediting truth is easy if you label truth as being a “conspiracy theory”. Perhaps we should distinguish―which the mainstream media refuses to distinguish―the difference between “conspiracy theories” and “conspiracy facts”. Not all “conspiracy theories” are true―but neither are all “conspiracy theories” untrue. Some are true and some are false. When we buy something or “buy-into” something―we tend to follow the success percentage in deciding what to buy. If a product works for you―you will buy it again; but if the product does not do what the label claims it will do, then you will not buy it again. Advertisers know this―and so they make sure that there are heaps of good reviews that accompany a product. Create an outlandish, crazy, whacko, far-fetched conspiracy theory and make it patently unbelievable and you have introduced “crazy cockle” among the “sane seed” that is planted in the minds of people. Now―if you keep creating more and more outlandish, crazy, whacko, far-fetched conspiracy theories and planting them in the minds of people―to the point where the crazy conspiracy theories outnumber the sane conspiracy theories by 100 to 1―then suddenly the likelihood of there being truth to these theories is 100 to 1. That is a clever way to discredit the truth―make truth guilty by the association of truth with the crazy conspiracy theories created just for that purpose. If 99 out of a 100 people have lied to you about their real name―then you are automatically going to presume that the 100th person will also lie to you―even though he is going to tell you the truth. Create and publish as many crazy conspiracy theories as possible, then make sure everyone hears about them, ridicule and mock them to scorn―and then even the true theories will be presumed to be crazy and will be rejected, or at least doubted. Article 5
How Can You Let Yourself Be So Fooled? A World of Fools
We live in a world of fools. A foolish world where the insignificant becomes important and the important becomes insignificant. A foolish world that lives for the present whilst foolishly ignoring the eternal. “The heart of fools where there is mirth” (Ecclesiastes 7:5). “The mouth of fools feeds on foolishness” (Proverbs 15:14). “Fools despise wisdom and instruction” (Proverbs 1:7). “The way of a fool is right in his own eyes” (Proverbs 12:15). “The instruction of fools is foolishness” (Proverbs 16:22). “For professing themselves to be wise, they became fools” (Romans 1:22). “Folly is joy to the fool” (Proverbs 15:21). “A fool will laugh at sin” (Proverbs 14:9). “The thought of a fool is sin” (Proverbs 24:9). “A friend of fools shall become like to them” (Proverbs 13:20). “Weep for the fool, for his understanding fails” (Ecclesiasticus 22:10). “The number of fools is infinite” (Ecclesiastes 1:15). There is a general consensus in the opinion that people have been “dumbed-down” considerably over that last 50 years or so. There is a growing and disturbing trend of anti-intellectual elitism in American culture. It’s the dismissal of science, the arts, and humanities and their replacement by entertainment, self-righteousness, ignorance, and deliberate gullibility. Susan Jacoby, author of The Age of American Unreason, says in an article in the Washington Post, “Dumbness, to paraphrase the late senator Daniel Patrick Moynihan, has been steadily defined downward for several decades, by a combination of heretofore irresistible forces. These include the triumph of video culture over print culture; a disjunction between Americans’ rising level of formal education and their shaky grasp of basic geography, science and history; and the fusion of anti-rationalism with anti-intellectualism.” There has been a long tradition of anti-intellectualism in America, unlike most other Western countries. Richard Hofstadter, who won a Pulitzer Prize in 1964 for his book, Anti-Intellectualism In American Life, describes how the vast underlying foundations of anti-elite, anti-reason and anti-science have been infused into America’s political and social fabric. Famous science fiction writer Isaac Asimov once said: “There is a cult of ignorance in the United States, and there has always been. The strain of anti-intellectualism has been a constant thread winding its way through our political and cultural life, nurtured by the false notion that democracy means that my ignorance is just as good as your knowledge.” Mark Bauerlein, in his book, The Dumbest Generation, reveals how a whole generation of youth is being dumbed down by their aversion to reading anything of substance and their addiction to digital “crap” via social media. Journalist Charles Pierce, author of Idiot America, adds another perspective: “The rise of idiot America today represents ― for profit mainly, but also and more cynically, for political advantage in the pursuit of power ― the breakdown of a consensus that the pursuit of knowledge is a good. It also represents the ascendancy of the notion that the people whom we should trust the least, are the people who best know what they are talking about. In the new media age, everybody is an expert.” “There’s a pervasive suspicion of rights, privileges, knowledge and specialization,” says Catherine Liu, the author of American Idyll: Academic Anti-Elitism as Cultural Critique and a film and media studies professor at University of California. The very mission of universities has changed, argues Liu. “We don’t educate people anymore. We train them to get jobs.” Ultimately, we are witnessing a drifting away from a pursuit for truth, which is being replaced by a politically correct acceptance of the lie. Once again, we need to quote William Casey, CIA Director from 1981 to 1987, who told President Reagan shortly after his election: “We’ll know our disinformation program is complete when everything the American public believes is false.” With each successive year―due to our being “dumbed-down”―we are letting ourselves be fooled by more and more lies masquerading as truth. The recent Conallwithavirus Plannedemic was a case in point―whereby we believed falsified death statistics; we wore homemade masks stupidly believing they would filter out the virus; we washed the skin off our hands; sanitized everything we could see, and believed that only a vaccine would save the world from destruction and that our God-given immune system was powerless to do anything―when for any sane person there was overwhelming SCIENTIFIC evidence that disproved those propaganda lies and narratives. Stupid is as stupid does! And there are a lot of stupid people doing stupid things because they believe stupid things! Emperor’s New Clothes―King With No Clothes―Invisible Suit of Clothes We would do well to read and ponder upon Hans Christian Andersen’s fairy tale about the [Stupid] Emperor’s New Clothes―also known as The King With No Clothes―The Invisible Suit of Clothes. It is especially applicable for our own day and age! Many years ago there was an Emperor so exceedingly fond of new clothes that he spent all his money on being well dressed. He cared nothing about reviewing his soldiers, going to the theatre, or going for a ride in his carriage, except to show off his new clothes. He had a coat for every hour of the day, and instead of saying, as one might, about any other ruler, “The King’s in council,” here they always said. “The Emperor’s in his dressing room.” In the great city where he lived, life was always joyful and entertaining. Every day many strangers came to town, and among them one day came two swindlers. They let it be known they were weavers, and they said they could weave the most magnificent fabrics imaginable. Not only were their colors and patterns uncommonly fine, but clothes made of this cloth had a wonderful way of becoming invisible to anyone who was unfit for his office, or who was unusually stupid. “Those would be just the clothes for me,” thought the Emperor. “If I wore them I would be able to discover which men in my empire are unfit for their posts. And I could tell the wise men from the fools. Yes, I certainly must get some of the stuff woven for me right away.” He paid the two swindlers a large sum of money to start work at once. They set up two looms and pretended to weave, though there was nothing on the looms. All the finest silk and the purest old thread which they demanded went into their traveling bags, while they worked the empty looms far into the night. “I’d like to know how those weavers are getting on with the cloth,” the Emperor thought, but he felt slightly uncomfortable when he remembered that those who were unfit for their position would not be able to see the fabric. It couldn’t have been that he doubted himself, yet he thought he’d rather send someone else to see how things were going. The whole town knew about the cloth’s peculiar power, and all were impatient to find out how stupid their neighbors were. “I’ll send my honest old minister to the weavers,” the Emperor decided. “He’ll be the best one to tell me how the material looks, for he’s a sensible man and no one does his duty better.” So the honest old minister went to the room where the two swindlers sat working away at their empty looms. “Heaven help me!” he thought as his eyes flew wide open, “I can’t see anything at all!” But he did not say so. Both the swindlers begged him to be so kind as to come near to approve the excellent pattern, the beautiful colors. They pointed to the empty looms, and the poor old minister stared as hard as he dared. He couldn’t see anything, because there was nothing to see. “Heaven have mercy!” he thought. “Can it be that I’m a fool? I’d have never guessed it, and not a soul must know. Am I unfit to be the minister? It would never do to let on that I can’t see the cloth.” “Don’t hesitate to tell us what you think of it,” said one of the weavers. “Oh, it’s beautiful! It’s enchanting!” The old minister peered through his spectacles. “Such a pattern, what colors! I’ll be sure to tell the Emperor how delighted I am with it.” “We’re pleased to hear that!” the swindlers said. They proceeded to name all the colors and to explain the intricate pattern. The old minister paid the closest attention, so that he could tell it all to the Emperor. And so he did. The swindlers at once asked for more money, more silk and gold thread, to get on with the weaving. But it all went into their pockets. Not a thread went into the looms, though they worked at their weaving as hard as ever. The Emperor presently sent another trustworthy official to see how the work progressed and how soon it would be ready. The same thing happened to him that had happened to the minister. He looked and he looked, but as there was nothing to see in the looms he couldn’t see anything. “Isn’t it a beautiful piece of cloth?” the swindlers asked him, as they displayed and described their imaginary pattern. “I know I’m not stupid,” the man thought, “so it must be that I’m unworthy of my good office. That’s strange. I mustn’t let anyone find it out, though.” So he praised the material which he could not see. He declared he was delighted with the beautiful colors and the exquisite pattern. To the Emperor he said, “It held me spellbound!” All the town was talking of this splendid cloth, and the Emperor wanted to see it for himself while it was still in the looms. Attended by a band of chosen men, among whom were his two old trusted officials―the ones who had been to the weavers―he set out to see the two swindlers. He found them weaving with might and main, but without a thread in their looms. “Magnificent!” said the two officials already duped. “Just look, Your Majesty, what colors! What a design!” They pointed to the empty looms, each supposing that the others could see the stuff. “What’s this?” thought the Emperor. “I can’t see anything. This is terrible! Am I a fool? Am I unfit to be the Emperor? What a thing to happen to me of all people!” … “Oh! It’s very pretty!” he said. “It has my highest approval!” And he nodded approbation at the empty loom. Nothing could make him say that he couldn’t see anything. His whole retinue stared and stared. One saw no more than another, but they all joined the Emperor in exclaiming, “Oh! It’s very pretty!” and they advised him to wear clothes made of this wonderful cloth especially for the great procession he was soon to lead. “Magnificent! Excellent! Unsurpassed!” were words bandied from mouth to mouth, and everyone did his best to seem well pleased. The Emperor gave each of the swindlers a cross to wear in his buttonhole, and the title of “Sir Weaver.” Before the procession the swindlers sat up all night and burned more than six candles, to show how busy they were finishing the Emperor’s new clothes. They pretended to take the cloth off the loom. They made cuts in the air with huge scissors. And at last they said, “Now the Emperor’s new clothes are ready for him!” Then the Emperor himself came with his noblest noblemen, and the swindlers each raised an arm as if they were holding something. They said, “These are the trousers, here’s the coat, and this is the mantle,” naming each garment. “All of them are as light as a spider web. One would almost think he had nothing on, but that’s what makes them so fine.” “Exactly!” all the noblemen agreed, though they could see nothing, for there was nothing to see. “If Your Imperial Majesty will condescend to take your clothes off,” said the swindlers, “we will help you on with your new ones here in front of the long mirror.” The Emperor undressed, and the swindlers pretended to put his new clothes on him, one garment after another. They took him around the waist and seemed to be fastening something ―that was his train―as the Emperor turned round and round before the looking glass. “How well Your Majesty’s new clothes look! Aren’t they becoming!” He heard on all sides, “That pattern, so perfect! Those colors, so suitable! It is a magnificent outfit.” Then the minister of public processions announced: “Your Majesty’s canopy is waiting outside!” “Well, I’m supposed to be ready,” the Emperor said, and turned again for one last look in the mirror. “It is a remarkable fit, isn’t it?” He seemed to regard his costume with the greatest interest. The noblemen who were to carry his train stooped low and reached for the floor as if they were picking up his mantle. Then they pretended to lift and hold it high. They didn’t dare admit they had nothing to hold. So off went the Emperor in procession under his splendid canopy. Everyone in the streets and the windows said, “Oh, how fine are the Emperor’s new clothes! Don’t they fit him to perfection? And see his long train!” Nobody would confess that he couldn’t see anything, for that would prove him either unfit for his position, or a fool. No costume the Emperor had worn before was ever such a complete success. “But he hasn’t got anything on!” a little child said. “Did you ever hear such innocent prattle?” said its father. And one person whispered to another what the child had said, “He hasn’t anything on! A child says he hasn’t anything on!” “But he HASN’T got anything on!” the whole town cried out at last. The Emperor shivered, for he suspected they were right. But he thought, “This procession has got to go on!” So he walked more proudly than ever, as his noblemen held high the train that wasn’t there at all. That is what modern-day politics has become! Almost everyone believes the political lies―but the reality is different. It is just that most people are scared to see the reality and speak the reality! Politics has become a charade, a theater, fiction―and everyone laps it up as though it was real. Presidents do not rule! There are higher powers that rule presidents. The rulers of nations are for the most part puppets on a string. They are not elected so much as selected―people just play the dumb part of casting votes and imagining that they “elect” someone, whereas it is the “elite” that “selects” the person. We are pacified by being allowed to cast a vote. Article 4
A Universal Lack of Suitable Candidates? “Provide out of all the people able men, such as fear God, in whom there is truth, and that hate avarice, and appoint of them rulers of thousands, and of hundreds, and of fifties, and of tens” (Exodus 18:21).
“I desire that supplications, prayers, intercessions, and thanksgivings be made for kings, and for all that are in high station” (1 Timothy 2:1-2). “The ancients therefore that are among you … feed the flock of God which is among you, taking care of it, not by constraint, but willingly, according to God―not for filthy lucre’s sake, but voluntarily. Neither as lording it over them” (1 Peter 5:1-3). Lord John Acton, (1834–1902) was an English Catholic historian, politician, and writer. He is perhaps best known for the remark, “Power tends to corrupt, and absolute power corrupts absolutely. Great men are almost always bad men...”, which he made in a letter to an Anglican bishop. Politicians aspire to power, are elected to powerful positions and this power brings its own temptations ― especially if you are not in a state of sanctifying grace (and most of the world is not in a state of grace), which can then very easily lead you down the slippery slopes of corruption. On this point, it is well worth remembering the words of the recently deceased (2016) former chief-exorcist of Rome, Fr. Gabriele Amorth, on the topic of politicians and leaders in general (business and otherwise). Fr. Amorth said: “Satanism is spreading enormously! The loss of a sense of sin―that characterizes our era―helps Satan to act nearly undisturbed and, inducing man to sin, takes man progressively away from the love of God, weakens the consciences of men and women and leads them toward egoism, closing their hearts, lack of forgiveness, and doing everything for money, power, and sex. The smoke of Satan has entered everywhere. Everywhere! Satanism is on the increase. Today Satan rules the world. The masses no longer believe in God. And, yes, Satan is in the Vatican! The devil resides in the Vatican. I have no doubt about the fact that the demon tempts the authorities of the Church especially―just as he tempts every authority, those of politics and industry. Everybody is vulnerable to the work of Satan! Evil exists in politics, quite often in fact! The devil loves to take over business leaders and those who hold political office!” (Fr. Gabriele Amorth). Our Lady, in her revelations to the Venerable Mary of Agreda, adds: “The inestimable treasure of the virtue of divine Faith is hidden to those mortals who have only carnal and earthly eyes. How many men―whom the world has celebrated as great, powerful and wise―on account of the lack of light of Faith, have precipitated themselves from the darkness of their unbelief into most abominable sins, and thence into the eternal darkness of Hell! How many kingdoms and provinces, being blind themselves, follow these still more blind leaders until they together fall into the abyss of eternal pains, and they are followed by the bad Christians, who having received the grace and blessing of Faith, live as if they had it not in their hearts! … There are very few in the world in our days who use well the temporal riches and offer them to their God and Lord … Witness how cruel and avaricious human nature has become … Witness the nobility of the souls so degraded and abased in the service of vile greed of gold with all its evil powers. As if all things had been created for the individual use of the rich, they amass them to themselves and deprive the poor, and denying them even to God, Who created and preserves all things, and Who can give or take at will … Trusting in deceit and in the powerful of this world; those that are not moderate in their desires and greedily covet what is unnecessary for the sustenance of life; they anxiously cling to what they possess, fearing that it may be diminished … There are few who know how to use wealth properly and who can retain it without inordinate greed … It is most lamentable that while the rich might purchase eternal life with their possessions, they abuse them to draw upon themselves damnation!” It is not in vain that Our Lord twice repeated Himself on one occasion about the dangers of riches (and riches buy power): “Jesus said to His disciples: ‘Amen, I say to you, that a rich man shall hardly enter into the Kingdom of Heaven! And again I say to you―It is easier for a camel to pass through the eye of a needle, than for a rich man to enter into the Kingdom of Heaven!” (Matthew 19:23-24). There are very few amongst the top politicians who are not rich. Riches and power seem to be the staple diet of most. Every year, members of US Congress are required to report on the value of their households’ income and assets. The data reveal that the lawmakers are a very rich bunch. Around the time of the previous Presidential Election in 2020, House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (Democrat for California) had seen her wealth increase to nearly $115 million from $41 million in 2004. Sen. Mitt Romney (Republican for Utah), a former private equity executive, was worth an estimated $174 million. Two-term Representative Paul Mitchell (Republican for Michigan) saw the largest growth in wealth between 2017 and 2018. The former for-profit college executive’s average net worth skyrocketed from $101 million to nearly $180 million. Some longtime members of Congress watched their wealth rise to record levels in 2018. Representative Collin Peterson (Democrat for Minnesota) was worth an estimated $123,500 in 2008. The House Agriculture Committee chairman’s average net assets stood at $4.2 million. Representative Judy Chu (Democrat for California) was worth less than six figures in 2008. One decade later her estimated net worth sat at $7.1 million. Senator Roy Blunt (Republican for Missouri) increased his wealth from $602,000 to $10.7 million over a decade. The median member of the US Congress was worth at least $1.1 million. That is more than 12 times greater than the net wealth of the median US household whom they represent and serve. Yet that doesn’t tell the whole story, since the chambers of congress are not equal in wealth terms. The median net worth of a senator was $3.2 million, versus $900,000 for members of the House of Representatives. These are conservative estimates. Congress members are not required to report on the value of their residence, though many do. And that doesn’t tell the whole story, since the chambers of congress are not equal in wealth terms. The median net worth of a senator was $3.2 million, versus $900,000 for members of the House of Representatives. In a recent public survey, 53% of voters believe political corruption is a crisis in the United States, while another 36% believe it is a significant problem but not a crisis. That is very consistent with other ScottRasmussen.com polling data showing that 87% of voters nationwide believe corruption is widespread in the federal government. Majorities of voters believe there is also corruption in state (70%) and local (57%) government. The belief that the USA has a political corruption crisis is shared by 53% of women, 52% of men, 51% of white voters, 55% of black and Hispanic voters, 54% of rural voters, 53% of suburban voters and 52% of urban voters. This is truly an issue that cuts across partisan and demographic lines. Recognition of political corruption as the nation’s biggest crisis shouldn’t be much of a surprise, considering the ongoing political debates. On one side, many voters believe that President Donald Trump was elected to clean up the swamp. On the other side, many believe the president is more corrupt than other politicians. But the perception of political corruption as a crisis goes deeper than attitudes about the president: ● A majority of voters (54%) believe it’s likely that their own representative in Congress trades votes for cash. ● Just 23% believe their own representative is the best person for the job. ● Two-thirds of voters (67%) believe that big businesses and government regulators often work together to create rules that are harmful and unfair to consumers. ● An overwhelming majority of voters ― 82% ― believe that the top leaders of federal regulatory agencies often use their position to pursue their own personal agenda and impose their standards on the rest of the nation. ● At the federal level, just 21% believe that government contracts are generally issued to the best company for the job. ● 79% believe contracts are awarded to the firms with the best contacts in government. Put it all together and you have a situation where voters find little hope and much cynicism in the political process. Article 3
Can Catholicism Penetrate Politics? Catholicism in politics? Are you mad? That is “mission impossible”! Such would be the initial and understandable reaction of anyone faced with the dilemma of influencing politics with Catholic principles. But why is this so? If God is the Creator of each individual soul that walks this planet―regardless of creed, race or social standing―then why would God not want everyone whom He made to follow His laws and principles? That would only seem logical. “There is one lawgiver and judge, that is able to destroy and to deliver” (James 4:12). “For the Lord is our judge, the Lord is our lawgiver, the Lord is our king!” (Isaias 33:22). Which is why Holy Scripture commands: “Obey God rather than men!” (Acts 5:29).
While we might believe in the governmental system of a Constitutional Republic, we do not think the government is our ultimate lawgiver, judge, ruler and savior. God alone is the supreme justice, the ultimate lawgiver, and the most righteous king―and Christ is God. He alone is the savior of the universe! “Neither is there salvation in any other. For there is no other name under Heaven given to men, whereby we must be saved” (Acts 4:12). “For there is one God, and one mediator of God and men, the man Christ Jesus” (1 Timothy 2:5). “God also hath exalted Him, and hath given Him a Name which is above all names, that in the Name of Jesus every knee should bow―of those that are in Heaven, on Earth, and under the Earth! And that every tongue should confess that the Lord Jesus Christ is in the glory of God the Father” (Philippians 2:9-11). “For we shall all stand before the judgment seat of Christ. For it is written: ‘As I live, says the Lord, every knee shall bow to Me, and every tongue shall confess to God!’ Therefore every one of us shall render account to God for himself!” (Romans 14:10-12). That is the theory―but what is happening in practice? Unfortunately Holy Scripture gives us the answer in two different psalms, both of which essentially say the same thing―man does not care “two hoots” about what God thinks: “The Lord hath looked down from Heaven upon the children of men―to see if there be any that understand and seek God. They are all gone aside! They are become unprofitable together! There is none that doth good―no, not one! Their throat is an open sepulcher! With their tongues they acted deceitfully! The poison of asps is under their lips! Their mouth is full of cursing and bitterness! Their feet are swift to shed blood! Destruction and unhappiness in their ways and the way of peace they have not known! There is no fear of God before their eyes! They have not called upon the Lord! There have they trembled for fear, where there was no fear!” (Psalm 13:2-5). Psalm 52 says much the same: “God looked down from Heaven on the children of men―to see if there were any that did understand, or did seek God. All have gone aside! They are become unprofitable together! There is none that doth good―no, not one! Shall not all the workers of iniquity know, who eat up My people as they eat bread? They have not called upon God! There have they trembled for fear, where there was no fear! For God hath scattered the bones of them that please men―they have been confounded, because God hath despised them!” (Psalm 52:3-6). Why does this happen? It happens because earthly rulers make up their minds to divorce themselves from God in what suits and pleases them―making their own laws that contradict or overturn God’s laws: “The kings of the Earth stood up, and the princes met together, against the Lord and against His Christ, [saying]: ‘Let us break Their bonds asunder and let us cast away Their yoke from us!’” (Psalm 2:2-3). The bottom line is that most of the world has voted God out of politics and condemned Him to the closet of Sunday religion. The world has more or less divorced God―even Catholics―whereby they might “worship” God on Sunday, but then they will live pagans from Monday to Saturday. This is true of the spiritual life, social life, cultural life and politics. Everyone can a have a god in their closet―but other than that, no god is invited to the “party.” God is not indifferent to the politics of man―God wants to be at the heart of man’s politics. In a certain sense, that is how God “set things up” in the first place for both angels and men. Yet Lucifer caused the first separation between Church (God) and State (the angels) with his infamous cry of “Non serviam!” ― meaning, “I will not serve!” and a third of the angels followed Lucifer in this separation of Church (God) and State (the angels). The “separation virus” was born and Lucifer next infected Eve, by encouraging her to separate herself from God’s commands and laws―thus achieving a separation of “Church and State” by causing a division between God and man. Lucifer achieved this by seducing Eve with the idea that she and Adam could be like gods unto themselves: “Your eyes shall be opened: and you shall be as Gods―knowing good and evil!” (Genesis 3:5) ― an offer Eve found too hard to resist. Lucifer played on Eve’s pride and used that pride to separate her from God through disobedience. She separated herself from God’s law, ate the forbidden fruit, and caught the “non serviam virus”, which she then passed on to Adam by getting him to disobey God also. Adam and Eve, having caught the “separation virus” or “non serviam virus”, then passed it on to their descendents ― we know the virus by the name of “Original Sin” ― which is essentially, as the Church teaches, a sin of pride and disobedience. This pride and disobedience currently oozes from the pores of politicians around the world―their pride leads them to despise the laws of God and they readily and willingly show disobedience to the laws of their Creator. They have lost their way and they are losing their souls―as well as dragging many souls with them into Hell, as the “sheeple” follow those Pied-Piper politicians into the pit. They are the “blind leaders” that Our Lord speaks of: “Leave them alone! They are blind, and leaders of the blind! And if the blind lead the blind, both will fall into the pit!” (Matthew 15:14). “O foolish people, and without understanding: who have eyes and see not; and ears and hear not!” (Jeremias 5:21). “Son of man, thou dwellest in the midst of a provoking house―who have eyes to see and see not; and ears to hear and hear not―for they are a provoking house!” (Ezechiel 12:2). “For the heart of this people is grown gross, and with their ears they have been dull of hearing, and their eyes they have shut―lest at any time they should see with their eyes, and hear with their ears, and understand with their heart, and be converted, and I should heal them!” (Matthew 13:15). Yet that is what God wishes to do―to heal and to save―despite the unprecedented sinfulness of the world. “For the Son of man is come to seek and to save that which was lost” says Our Lord (Luke 19:10) … “I came not to call the just, but sinners to penance!” (Luke 5:32) … “Go then and learn what this means: ‘I will have mercy and not sacrifice!’ For I am not come to call the just, but sinners!” (Matthew 9:13). We have an integral and important part to play in penetrating today’s “hearts of stone” and trying to give them a “heart of flesh” ― “I will give you a new heart, and put a new spirit within you: and I will take away the stony heart out of your flesh, and will give you a heart of flesh” (Ezechiel 36:26) ― and it through our prayers, penances and sacrifices that this can be obtained. This conversion of sinners is not a “freebie”, but has to be paid by prayer, penance and sacrifice―and lots of them. Sin is expensive and costly―therefore conversions are not cheap. It is not “mission impossible”― no matter how evil the world and politics is, for “where sin abounded, grace did more abound!” (Romans 5:20). The problem is that we are not seeking those graces of conversion nor are we paying for them ― even though Our Lady of Fatima asked for that payment, not even exempting young children from the task! She asked a 10-year-old (Lucia), an 8-year-old (Francisco) and a 7-year-old (Jacinta) to pray, sacrifice and suffer for sinners: “Are you willing to offer yourselves to God and bear all the sufferings He wills to send you, as an act of reparation for the conversion of sinners? … Then you are going to have much to suffer, but the grace of God will be your comfort.” We do not have to be in politics to be able to influence politics. It is the grace of God that influences the entire world―yet that grace is not cheap. We can change the world―but nobody, or very few, are willing to pay the price. Until we reconsider and change our minds, there will be no change in the fatal direction in which the world is being led by its politicians and politics. We have it in our power to do something―but we refuse to do so! In one sense, our guilt is as great if not greater, and our punishment will most likely be greater than that of these neo-pagans: “That servant who knew the will of his lord, and prepared not himself, and did not according to his will, shall be beaten with many stripes!” (Luke 12:47). We have not been placed in this world to have fun and enjoy life as much as possible―we have been placed on Earth as Catholics to be the salt of the Earth, the light of the world, and the leaven that raises up the bread. “You are the salt of the Earth. But if the salt loses its savor, with what shall it be salted? It is good for nothing anymore, but to be cast out and to be trodden on by men! You are the light of the world! A city seated on a mountain cannot be hid! Neither do men light a candle and hide it under a table, but put it upon a candlestick, so that it may shine to all that are in the house. So let your light shine before men!” (Matthew 5:13-16). Today―Christianity and Politics seem to be an explosive mixture. For most people, it is prudent and even desirable to keep Christianity out of politics. Such people are always quoting Holy Scripture as proof of their position, where Christ said: “Render therefore to Caesar the things that are Caesar’s; and to God, the things that are God’s!” (Matthew 22:21) and glue it onto another quote of Christ’s: “My kingdom is not of this world!” … My kingdom is not from hence!” (John 18:36) as well as the Scripture which says: “Let every soul be subject to higher powers: for there is no power but from God: and those that are, are ordained of God. Therefore he that resists the power, resists the ordinance of God. And they that resist, purchase to themselves damnation. For princes are not a terror to the good work, but to the evil” (Romans 13:1-3) ― but what if those rulers, those princes, those higher powers are themselves evil or are proposing evil things, or even legislating evil things? What then? Obedience to authorities is fine and good―if they themselves require and command what is good. But that’s a far cry from the notion that whatever the government does is somehow automatically right, or replacements for God’s will, or irresistible in their power. Daniel rightly disobeys the political edict that he must bow down to the king. The Hebrew midwives are blessed by God for disobeying Pharao. Rahab is heralded as an example of faith in both Hebrews 11 and the book of James for her disobedience to the political authorities in Jericho. For Our Lord is equally clear on who is boss, when He says: “All power is given to Me in Heaven and in Earth!” (Matthew 28:18) and when He tells Pontius Pilate: “Thou shouldst not have any power against Me, unless it were given to thee from above” (John 19:11) ― which is echoed by St. Paul: “There is no power but from God” (Romans 13:1) ― with St. Peter adding: “We ought to obey God, rather than men!” (Acts 5:29) ―especially when those men propose evil or legislate for evil. “For we must ALL (not just believers) be manifested before the judgment seat of Christ, that everyone may receive according as he has done, whether it be good or evil” (2 Corinthians 5:10). True Christians―not the false Christians who support abortion, divorce and remarriage, same-sex relations and marriage, contraception, LGBTQ and the rest―true Christians have become a minority, both socially and in politics. There is barely a politician anywhere who has not compromised on God’s laws and accepted and voted for legislation supporting sin. It is almost as though entering politics increases you chances of damnation a hundredfold or a thousandfold. It is such politics and such politicians that MUST be resisted by true Christians. Our Lord is clear on the matter: “He that is not with Me, is against Me: and he that gathers not with Me, scatters!” (Matthew 12:30). “But before all these things, they will lay their hands upon you, and persecute you, delivering you up to the synagogues and into prisons, dragging you before kings and governors, for My Name’s sake. Lay it up therefore into your hearts, not to meditate before how you shall answer―for I will give you a mouth and wisdom, which all your adversaries shall not be able to resist and speak against!” (Luke 21:12-15). “For they shall deliver you up to councils, and in the synagogues you shall be beaten, and you shall stand before governors and kings for My sake, for a testimony unto them. And when they shall lead you and deliver you up, be not thoughtful beforehand what you shall speak; but whatsoever shall be given you in that hour, that speak ye. For it is not you that speak―but the Holy Ghost!” (Mark 13:9-11). “You shall be brought before governors, and before kings for My sake―for a testimony to them and to the Gentiles. But when they shall deliver you up, take no thought how or what to speak―for it shall be given you in that hour what to speak. For it is not you that speak, but the Spirit of your Father that speaks in you!” (Matthew 10:18-20). There is no simple blueprint or rule that we can apply in all times and cases to get this exactly right. It is our ongoing task as Christians―being firstly citizens of God’s kingdom and only secondly citizens of earthly kingdoms―to live so as to give government its proper respect without seeing it as completely corrupt or evil on the one hand (as if God hasn’t ordained it) or treating it as completely infallible on the other (as if God has made government His infallible representative on Earth). When the government loses sight of God, loses Faith in God, opposes the laws of God―then, in God’s eyes, it becomes an enemy of God. Governments are not exempt from Christ’s command of “SEEK YE FIRST the kingdom of God and HIS justice!” (Luke 12:31), as well as “Thou shalt love the Lord thy God, with thy whole heart, and with thy whole soul, and with thy whole mind, and with thy whole strength. This is the greatest and the first commandment!” (Mark 12:30; Matthew 22:37-38). “If you love Me, keep My commandments … He that hath My commandments, and keepeth them; he it is that loveth Me … If anyone love Me, he will keep My word … He that loveth Me not, keepeth not My words … If you keep My commandments, you shall abide in My love … This is My commandment, that you love one another, as I have loved you” (John 14:15, 14:21-24; 15:10; 15:12). “Love not the world, nor the things which are in the world. If any man love the world, the charity of the Father is not in him!” (1 John 2:15). “Know you not that the friendship of this world is the enemy of God? Whosoever therefore will be a friend of this world, becomes an enemy of God!” (James 4:4). “Bear not the yoke with unbelievers! What fellowship has light with darkness? And what concord has Christ with Belial? Or what part has the faithful with the unbeliever? And what agreement has the temple of God with idols? For you are the temple of the living God! As God says: ‘I will dwell in them, and walk among them; and I will be their God, and they shall be My people!’ Wherefore, ‘Go out from among them, and be ye separate!’ says the Lord” (2 Corinthians 6:14-17). “Our wrestling is not against flesh and blood―but against principalities and powers, against the rulers of the world of this darkness, against the spirits of wickedness in the high places!” (Ephesians 6:12). “Be not conformed to this world” (Romans 12:2) … “That we be not condemned with this world!” (1 Corinthians 11:32). The problem is that most Catholics are well and truly integrated into the world―they are at home with the world, comfortable in the world, and loving the world! They have become enemies of God! In that role of enemies of God, they have no problem voting for and electing enemies of God into positions of power on the political stage! God help us! Article 2
God Bless America or Godless America? Not having read the book and thus knowing nothing more about the book than its title―therefore not recommending the book other than for its catchy title―one has to admit the Liberal Democrat author of the book entitled “God’s Politics― Why the Right Gets It Wrong and the Left Doesn’t Get It” seems to hit the nail squarely on the head! Neither political party seems to “get it” when it comes to God―despite the word “God” being liberally sprinkled throughout the Declaration of Independence, as a national motto (“In God we trust!”) and in patriotic songs such as “God Bless America!” American politics (as well as world politics) might have God on their lips, but sadly not in their hearts. You can sing “God bless America” all you want, but Our Lord will say: “This people honoureth Me with their lips―but their heart is far from Me! And in vain do they worship Me, teaching doctrines and commandments of men!” (Matthew 15:8-9).
It seems as though God is God and Politics is Politics and “never the twain shall meet” ― a phrase that is used to suggest that two things are too different to coexist. Just as God says: “For My thoughts are not your thoughts: nor your ways My ways, saith the Lord. For as the heavens are exalted above the Earth, so are My ways exalted above your ways, and My thoughts above your thoughts!” (Isaias 55:8-9). Politics seems to reply in the same vein: “Our thoughts are no longer God’s thoughts and God’s ways are no longer our ways, saith politicians. For as the skyscraper towers above the street, so are our thoughts above God’s thoughts and our ways above God’s ways.” Political opinion and political talk―due to the misguided principle of separation of Church and State―has become the Las Vegas of Christianity—an environment in which our sin is excused. Hate is winked at; fear is perpetuated and strife is applauded. “Go wild, Christ-follower! This is the political arena―not the church! Your words have no consequences here! Jesus doesn’t live in Vegas!” Not only are ‘believers’ excused for their political indiscretions, but they are often applauded for committing them. Slander is explained away as righteous anger; winning arguments are esteemed higher than truthful ones (whether or not the “facts” align); and those who stir up dissension are given the pulpit to preach what the hell they want. Has the proverbially “penny dropped” yet? Has the “elevator finally reached the top floor”? Has someone or something finally turned-on the light-bulb in the darkness of your mind? Can you finally see, grasp, understand why Holy Scripture calls the world our “enemy”? “The Gentiles raged, and the people devised vain things. The kings of the Earth stood up and the princes met together, against the Lord and against His Christ [saying]: ‘Let us break Their bonds asunder and let us cast away Their yoke from us!’” (Psalm 2:1-3). “Our wrestling is not against flesh and blood; but against principalities and powers, against the rulers of the world of this darkness, against the spirits of wickedness in the high places!” (Ephesians 6:12). “What fellowship hath light with darkness? And what concord hath Christ with Belial? Or what part hath the faithful with the unbeliever? And what agreement hath the temple of God with idols? For you are the temple of the living God! As God saith: ‘I will dwell in them, and walk among them; and I will be their God, and they shall be My people!’ Wherefore, ‘Go out from among them, and be ye separate!’ saith the Lord” (2 Corinthians 6:14-17). “And Jesus said to them: ‘You are from beneath, I am from above! You are of this world, I am not of this world!” (John 8:23). “Adulterers! Know you not that the friendship of this world is the enemy of God? Whosoever therefore will be a friend of this world, becometh an enemy of God!” (James 4:4). “We have received not the spirit of this world, but the Spirit that is of God; that we may know the things that are given us from God! … Use this world, as if [you] used it not: for the fashion of this world passeth away!” (1 Corinthians 2:12; 7:31). “For we brought nothing into this world: and certainly we can carry nothing out!” (1 Timothy 6:7). “Keep yourself unspotted from this world!” (James 1:27). “Love not the world, nor the things which are in the world. If any man love the world, the charity of the Father is not in him!” (1 John 2:15). “For the wisdom of this world is foolishness with God. For it is written: ‘I will catch the wise in their own craftiness!’” (1 Corinthians 3:19). “Hath not God made foolish the wisdom of this world?” (1 Corinthians 1:20). Yet many say the Church should engage in the political process. Why would we do that? The political process is dirty and broken and far from God and Christ. Paranoia and vitriol are hardly attractive accessories for the Bride of Christ. The Christian is not meant to descend to the level of the world―but to elevate the world to the much higher level and ideals of Christianity. Rather than engage in the political process, Christians have a duty to elevate it. Like any other sin, we are called to stand above the partisan political dissension and demonstrate a better way of doing things. Should we have an opinion? Yes. Should we care about our country? Yes. Should we vote? Yes. But it’s time we talk politics in a way that models the teachings of Christ rather than mocks them. We need to transfigure politics and raise its low dirty level. The problem is that when there is little beauty around to be found―then ugliness starts to be thought of as being beautiful. You can eat unhealthy, lousy, chemical laden food for so long that you actually begin to prefer it to healthy, good God-made food―whereby the lab-grown meat is preferred to pasture-raised meat. Similarly, man-made truths, human opinions, man-made morals are preferred to God’s truth, God’s opinion and God’s morality. This constant feeding upon the―for the sake of using a nicer word―garbage that the world feeds us, results in the shocking situation where most Catholics now accept divorce, remarriage, contraception, abortion, same sex marriages and sexual relations, false religions through false ecumenism, and worldliness as a whole. We are no longer the “salt of the earth” nor the “light of the world”―with our taste for morality and light of Faith being ever increasingly diminished and extinguished. We have become the opposite of what Christ commanded: “You are the salt of the Earth. But if the salt lose its savor, wherewith shall it be salted? It is good for nothing any more but to be cast out, and to be trodden on by men. You are the light of the world. A city seated on a mountain cannot be hid. Neither do men light a candle and put it under a bushel, but upon a candlestick, that it may shine to all that are in the house. So let your light shine before men, that they may see your good works, and glorify your Father who is in Heaven!” (Matthew 5:13-16). We are no longer “salty” Catholics, but “bland” Catholics―having lost the flavor and savor of Catholicism―we have become “GM―Genetically Modified” Catholics, loaded with “MSG―materialism, sensuality and greed”. Not only the non-Catholic world, but also the Catholic world needs a massive transfiguration, a gigantic transformation, an almost total overhaul and conversion. The problem is that going downhill is easier than going uphill―going downhill requires little or no effort, going uphill requires a lot of effort. God is on the mountain―not in valley or the pit. “In My holy mountain, in the high mountain of Israel, saith the Lord God, there shall all the house of Israel serve Me!” (Ezechiel 20:40). “Great is the Lord, and exceedingly to be praised in the city of our God, in His holy mountain” (Psalm 47:2). “Many people shall go, and say: ‘Come and let us go up to the mountain of the Lord, and to the house of the God of Jacob, and He will teach us His ways, and we will walk in His paths!’” (Isaias 2:3). “And many nations shall come in haste, and say: ‘Come, let us go up to the mountain of the Lord, and He will teach us of His ways, and we will walk in His paths” (Micheas 4:2). God will not accept the current state of the world with its increasingly godless politics―that keeps only a hypocritical fraction of God’s Law, while introducing as laws God-condemned sins such as divorce, remarriage, contraception, abortion, same sex marriages and sexual relations, false religions through false ecumenism, and worldliness as a whole. There will be a transformation―without any doubt. Yet there are two ways that it can happen―we can either choose to change on our own part; or God will force us to change on His part. That has been made abundantly clear by the terrible, frightening, brutal revelations of the sweet, loving, kind and merciful Mother of God―who clearly warned: “If my people do not wish to submit themselves, I am forced to let go of the hand of my Son! It is so heavy and weighs me down so much, that I can no longer keep hold of it! … Woe to the inhabitants of the Earth! God will strike in an unprecedented way. God will exhaust His wrath upon them, and no one will be able to escape so many afflictions together … Physical and moral agonies will be suffered. God will abandon mankind to itself and will send punishments which will follow one after the other. The society of men is on the eve of the most terrible scourges and of gravest events. Mankind must expect to be ruled with an iron rod and to drink from the chalice of the wrath of God!” (Our Lady of La Salette, 1846). Things had not changed by 1956, when Our Lady said to Blessed Elena Aiello: “People are offending God too much! If I were to show you all the sins committed on a single day, you would surely die of grief! These are grave times! The world is in total turmoil because it is in a worse condition than at the time of the deluge! All is hanging on a slender thread! When that thread shall snap, Divine Justice shall pounce upon the world and execute its dreadful, purging designs! All the nations shall be punished because sins, like a muddy river, are now covering all the Earth!” By 1973 things were no better, which prompted Our Lady of Akita to say: “Many men in this world afflict the Lord. I desire souls to console Him to soften the anger of the Heavenly Father. I wish, with my Son, for souls who will repair―by their suffering and their poverty―for the sinners and the ungrateful. Prayer, penance and courageous sacrifices can soften the Father’s anger. In order that the world might know His anger, the Heavenly Father is preparing to inflict a great chastisement on all mankind. As I told you, if men do not repent and better themselves, the Father will inflict a terrible punishment on all humanity. It will be a punishment greater than the deluge, such as one never seen before. Fire will fall from the sky and will wipe out a great part of humanity, the good as well as the bad, sparing neither priests nor faithful. The survivors will find themselves so desolate that they will envy the dead. If sins increase in number and gravity, there will be no longer pardon for them.” Let us not kid ourselves about the “goodness” of today’s politics and politicians―Our Lady hits the final nail in the coffin of current politics when she reveals: “From the end of the 19th century and especially in the 20th century, the passions will erupt and there will be a total corruption of morals, for Satan will reign almost completely by means of the Masonic sects ... During this epoch the Church will find herself attacked by terrible assaults from the Masonic sect … These years, during which the evil sect of Masonry will take control of the civil government, will see a cruel persecution of all religious communities … All the civil governments will have one and the same plan, which will be to abolish and do away with every religious principle, to make way for materialism, atheism, spiritualism and vice of all kinds. They will abolish civil rights, as well as ecclesiastical rights. All order and all justice will be trampled underfoot and only homicides, hate, jealousy, lies and dissension will be seen, without love for country or family! … Masonry, which will then be in power, will enact iniquitous laws, making it easy for everyone to live in sin, encouraging the procreation of illegitimate children born without the blessing of the Church ... The spirit of impurity that will permeate the atmosphere during these times. Like a filthy ocean, it will run through the streets, squares and public places with an astonishing liberty. There will be almost no virgin souls in the world … Moreover, in these unhappy times, there will be unbridled luxury which, acting thus to snare the rest into sin, will conquer innumerable frivolous souls who will be lost. Innocence will almost no longer be found in children, nor modesty in women, and in this supreme moment of need of the Church, those who should speak will fall silent!” That is the result of present-day politics, present-day legislation, present-day culture―all of which ultimately comes back to the doors of those who rule and govern―all the way down from presidents and kings, the U.S. Congress with its Senate and House of Representatives, or the U.K. Parliament and House of Lords, down to local state governance, down to city governance and even priests in parishes, teachers in schools and parents in homes. With regard to most of these people, God would say today what He said of old: “The fool hath said in his heart: ‘There is no God!’ They are corrupt, and are become abominable in their ways! There is none that doth good―no, not one! The Lord hath looked down from heaven upon the children of men, to see if there be any that understand and seek God. They are all gone aside! They are become unprofitable together! There is none that doth good―no, not one! Their throat is an open sepulcher―with their tongues they acted deceitfully; the poison of asps is under their lips. Their mouth is full of cursing and bitterness; their feet are swift to shed blood! Destruction and unhappiness in their ways: and the way of peace they have not known! There is no fear of God before their eyes” (Psalm 13:1-3). The whole world today―not just the 2024 U.S. Presidential candidates―needs Divine intervention to pull both the U.S. and the world out of the deadly dive that they have entered. Most souls―led by the “Pied Piper” politicians are precipitously plummeting towards Hell―and as Our Lady of Akita says: “The thought of the loss of so many souls is the cause of my sadness. If sins increase in number and gravity, there will be no longer pardon for them!” (Our Lady of Akita, October 13th, 1973). If you think that one man or one woman is going to change the world―then go see a psychiatrist quickly! The only “one man” who can change the world is Jesus Christ―and He is currently not invited to the party! He can change the world gently or violently―the choice is ours. That is the chief choice we should be mulling over in our minds―and not the choice between Trump and Harris. Neither presidential candidate is truly “of God” ― even though they both claim to be ‘Christian’, both Kamala Harris is fully supportive of abortion, while Donald Trump only partially talks against abortion. Kamala Harris is a staunch supporter of LGBTQ rights, while Trump has softened his stance in that area. Neither candidate has the qualifications or viewpoints that would get them elected as the “Holy Monarch” ― subservient to a Holy Pope ― whom God will use to restore godliness to a godless world. It is Christ and His Mother that we should be voting for and casting our ballots (or beads) for them many times a day! As Our Lady said: “Pray the Rosary every day in honor of Our Lady of the Rosary, because only she can help you.” (July 13th, 1917) ― which she again echoed at Akita in 1973, saying: “The only weapons which will remain for you will be the Rosary and the Sign left by my Son. Each day recite the prayers of the Rosary … Pray very much the prayers of the Rosary! I alone am able still to save you from the calamities which approach!” As far as we know, Our Lady made no mention of Trump, Harris or any other politician in this world―though we stand to be corrected if anyone can up with contrary evidence. As usual, the political circus of elections will grab attention of Catholics―or the few that remain worthy of that name, as Our Lady of Good Success said of our times, that there would only be “small number of souls who, hidden, will preserve the treasure of the Faith and practice virtue”―diverting their attention away from the real election that is constantly taking place throughout the world (America included), in which the only two running candidates are God (Heaven’s Party) and Satan (World’s Party, also known as Hell’s Party). Until Catholics start casting their votes (Masses, prayers, penances, sacrifices) in that election―Godless America can keep singing “God Bless America”―but nothing is going to change. Article 1
It's CON Time Again! As the U.S. Presidential Election draws ever closer, it is CON time again! It’s all about the CON ― Congress; Constitution; Conservatives; Conventions; Economics; Conferences; Convictions; Condescension; Contempt; Conflict; Condemnations; etc. We are exposed to and can see “cons” everywhere! It almost seems inevitable that to be a politician, you also have to be a conman!
If you have in any way followed Presidential Elections―or as some would say, Presidential Deceptions―then, at the end of the day, you have to ask if all that you are seeing and are being told is true. Our Lord could well say of most politicians: “You are of your father the devil, and the desires of your father you will do. He was a murderer from the beginning, and he stood not in the truth―because truth is not in him. When he speaks a lie, he speaks of his own―for he is a liar, and the father of lies!” (John 8:44). If Holy Scripture says: “Every man is a liar!” (Psalm 115:11), then you could also say: “Every politician is a liar!” Adding: “They have taught their tongue to speak lies!” (Jeremias 9:5). Those words of Our Lord take on a more powerful significance in our days, especially in light of the comment made by William Casey, the CIA Director from 1981 to 1987. At an early February 1981 meeting of the newly elected President Reagan and his new cabinet secretaries, to give reports about their agencies at the start of the new President’s administration, the CIA Director, William Casey, said: “We’ll know our disinformation program is complete when everything the American public believes is false.” Can You Believe Liars? Shocking? Surprising? Not for God―for He tells us in Holy Scripture that “the sons of men are liars” (Psalms 61:10) ... “They have taught their tongue to speak lies” (Jeremias 9:5). “Every man is a liar!” (Psalm 115:11). Coming down to Earth, we find mere human scientists and doctors agreeing with Holy Scripture! Dr. Kang Lee, a professor at the University of Toronto, said that “we explicitly teach our kids to tell white lies,” in areas of life where telling the truth would make others feel uncomfortable ― saying that these lessons on how lie are given from around the age of 6 years of age and above. Thus the child learns that it is socially acceptable to lie. “Dishonesty is contagious,” says Dr. Simon Gaechter of the University of Nottingham. He added that most people would like to be honest, but if they live in a country where the violations of rules are rampant “people say, ‘Well everybody cheats. If I cheat here, then that’s OK!’” Dr. Bella DePaulo, author of “The Hows and Whys of Lies,” found that her students, on average, lied in every third conversation that lasted for 10 minutes or more. For adults, she found they lied once in every five conversations of 10 minutes or more. Some years later, Dr. Robert Feldman from the University of Massachusetts, found that he had similar results. Society rewards people for white lies, Feldman said. “We’re really trained to be deceptive. If we’re not, if we’re totally truthful all the time that’s not a good thing, there’s a price to be paid for that. We don’t like people who tell us the truth all the time.” Another researcher, Dr. Maurice Schweitzer, from the University of Pennsylvania ― who specializes in studying deception and decision-making ― said: “I would say we’re lying constantly! Constantly!” Our Lord said: “The truth shall make you free!” (John 8:32) ― yet most of the world prefers to be chained to lies and are uncomfortable with the truth―especially when it concerns themselves―which is why hardly anyone goes to the Sacrament of Confession anymore, for they do not like to face the truth about themselves. Confession has been replaced by accusation―instead of accusing ourselves in the secrecy of the confessional, we prefer to accuse others publicly―and the internet makes it oh so easy to do that! More often than not, those accusations are exaggerated, colored, enhanced and tailored―just like the view that we have of ourselves is often exaggerated, colored, enhanced and tailored. In both cases, truth suffers and the lie profits. Our Lord condemns this when He says: “Why seest thou the splinter that is in thy brother’s eye; and seest not the plank that is in thy own eye? Or how sayest thou to thy brother: ‘Let me cast the splinter out of thy eye!’ ― and behold there is a plank in thy own eye? Thou hypocrite! Cast out first the plank in thy own eye, and then shalt thou see to cast out the splinter out of thy brother’s eye!” (Matthew 7:3-5). The Truth Shall Make You Feel Uncomfortable As Our Lord said above, “The truth shall make you free!” (John 8:32) ― but, in addition, the truth shall make you see that you are not what you make yourself out to be; the truth shall make you see that the world is not what it pretends to be; the truth shall make you see that you have a God-given role in this life and that you are not here to have fun; the truth shall make you see that you are in part responsible for the mess that the Church and world find themselves in today. The truth is that we are too comfortable in this world and too comfortable with the world―and that leads us to another unpleasant truth, the fact that the world is an enemy of God and, by being a friend, a lover, a partaker of that worldliness of the world, we end up becoming enemies of God―even though we will naturally protest against that truth. Holy Scripture says: “They are of the world—therefore of the world they speak, and the world hears them! We are of God. He that knows God, hears us. He that is not of God, hears us not. By this we know the spirit of truth, and the spirit of error” (1 John 4:5-6). Our Lord says to the worldlings: “You are from beneath, I am from above. You are of this world, I am not of this world!” (John 8:23). To His followers He says: “If you had been of the world, the world would love its own! But because you are not of the world―for I have chosen you out of the world―therefore the world hates you!” (John 15:19). “If the world hates you, know that it has hated Me before you!” (John 15:18). “The world hates Me because I give testimony of it, that the works thereof are evil!” (John 7:7). To which Holy Scripture adds: “They who are in the flesh, cannot please God.” (Romans 8:8). “Keep yourself unspotted from this world!” (James 1:27). “Be not conformed to this world” (Romans 12:2) … “That we be not condemned with this world!” (1 Corinthians 11:32). “Love not the world, nor the things which are in the world. If any man loves the world, the charity of the Father is not in him!” (1 John 2:15). “Know you not that the friendship of this world is the enemy of God? Whosoever therefore will be a friend of this world, becomes an enemy of God!” (James 4:4). Now that’s the truth! That is also an unpleasant truth for most Catholics! What is Happening Happens to be Our Fault! As St. John Chrysostom―a Father and Doctor of the Church―says, on the Day of Judgment you will be judged for everything that happened in the world while you were alive in this world! Of course―unlike God―you cannot be everywhere at all times and capable of doing all things! However, you are capable of praying for the whole world and all its messes. You are capable of praying far, far, more than you at present and have done to this day. You are capable of recruiting almighty God to the battle by having numerous or countless Masses offered all throughout your life for the intention of the conversion of the many enemies of the Church and mankind (or their destruction if they won’t convert) and the triumph of the Immaculate Heart of Mary―what would it cost you in time or effort? Very little indeed, a few dollars and note or a phone call to a priest once a week, every week―and for that measly sum of money you send Christ into battle―Who is almighty God Himself. There will be no excuse for that great neglect of our supreme weapon and our lack of Faith in it. Which brings us back to the theme of this article ― “Can you believe what you are seeing?” Would all that has been, is and will be unfolding before our very eyes―would it have happened had we, the Soldiers of Christ, been on active duty instead of being AWOL (absent without leave) among the distractions of the world? If you cannot see that Satan is currently ruling the world―then you probably cannot see the tip of your own nose! For those who still are able to see, they probably see less clearly than they imagine! The great big whopping lies that most people swallowed a few years ago with the advent of Covid-19 and whopping lies about the medical, social, business and economic measures that needed to be taken in light of Covid-19―betrays an intellectual blindness that ultimately stems from a spiritual blindness. “Do you not yet know nor understand? Have you still your heart blinded?” (Mark 8:17). The intellectual blindness is a punishment for a deliberate spiritual blindness that neither seeks, nor loves, nor obeys God. “God has blinded their eyes, and hardened their heart, that they should not see with their eyes, nor understand with their heart, and be converted, and I should heal them” (John 12:40). Blinded by Our Sins and the World “The gods of this world have blinded the minds of unbelievers” (2 Corinthians 4:4). “These things they thought and were deceived―for their own malice blinded them” (Wisdom 2:21). “As it is written: ‘God has given them the spirit of insensibility; eyes that they should not see; and ears that they should not hear, until this present day!’” (Romans 11:8). Way before this present day, Our Lady of Good Success warned without success: “From the end of the 19th century and especially in the 20th century, the passions will erupt and there will be a total corruption of morals, for Satan will reign almost completely by means of the Masonic sects [cf. “Satan shall be loosed out of his prison, and shall go forth, and seduce the nations, which are over the four quarters of the Earth” (Apocalypse 20:7)] ... During this epoch the Church will find herself attacked by terrible assaults from the Masonic sect … These years, during which the evil sect of Masonry will take control of the civil government, will see a cruel persecution of all religious communities … All the civil governments will have one and the same plan, which will be to abolish and do away with every religious principle, to make way for materialism, atheism, spiritualism and vice of all kinds. They will abolish civil rights, as well as ecclesiastical rights. All order and all justice will be trampled underfoot and only homicides, hate, jealousy, lies and dissension will be seen, without love for country or family.” (Our Lady of Good Success). One Big Lie Bubble Just ponder upon those words of Our Lady for a moment! She says that Satan will reign almost completely by the means of the Masonic sects especially in the 20th century. Masonry will control of civil government. All civil governments will have one and the same plan. Can you not see that this has come to be true in front of our own very eyes―it has happened on “our watch” and, like the sowing of the cockle among the wheat in Our Lord’s parable, “while men were asleep, the enemy came and over-sowed cockle among the wheat and went his way” (Matthew 13:25). When Our Lady’s prophecy about Masonry came true with its birth in the early 1700s―around 100 years after Our Lady foretold it―the Church incessantly spoke out against Masonry. Pope Leo XIII, in his encyclical against Freemasonry, points out this opposition of the Church: “The Roman Pontiffs Our predecessors, in their incessant watchfulness over the safety of the Christian people, were prompt in detecting the presence and the purpose of this capital enemy [Masonry] immediately it sprang into the light, instead of hiding as a dark conspiracy; and, moreover, they took occasion with true foresight to give, as it were on their guard, and not allow themselves to be caught by the devices and snares laid out to deceive them. The first warning of the danger was given by Pope Clement XII in the year 1738, and his constitution was confirmed and renewed by Pope Benedict XIV; Pope Pius VII followed the same path; and Pope Leo XII, by his apostolic constitution, Quo Graviora, put together the acts and decrees of former Pontiffs on this subject, and ratified and confirmed them forever. In the same sense spoke Pope Pius VIII, Pope Gregory XVI, and, many times over, Pope Pius IX. “For as soon as the constitution and the spirit of the Masonic sect were clearly discovered―by manifest signs of its actions, by the investigation of its causes, by publication of its laws, and of its rites and commentaries, with the addition often of the personal testimony of those who were in the secret―this Apostolic See denounced the sect of the Freemasons, and publicly declared its constitution, as contrary to law and right, to be pernicious no less to Christendom than to the State … Freemasons grew with a rapidity beyond conception in the course of a century and a half, until it came to be able, by means of fraud or of audacity, to gain such entrance into every rank of the State as to seem to be almost its ruling power … Such a condition has been reached that henceforth there will be grave reason to fear for those States in which prevails the power, either of the Masonic sect of which we are speaking, or of other sects, not dissimilar, which lend themselves to Masonry as disciples and subordinates … Their ultimate purpose forces itself into view ― namely, the utter overthrow of that whole religious and political order of the world which the Christian teaching has produced, and the substitution of a new state of things in accordance with their ideas, of which the foundations and laws shall be drawn from mere naturalism.” Who Do You Believe? The Lie? Or Our Lady? Our Lady of Good Success, already back in the 1600s, prophesied that “From the end of the 19th century and especially in the 20th century … Satan will reign almost completely by means of the Masonic sects” fits perfectly with Holy Scripture telling us that “Satan shall be loosed out of his prison, and shall go forth, and seduce the nations, which are over the four quarters of the Earth” (Apocalypse 20:7). Her prophecy also fits perfectly with the vision granted to Pope Leo XIII in the 1880s (which is the end of the 19th century, as Our Lady says), wherein Pope Leo heard Satan boasting to Our Lord that he could destroy the Church if he could only have enough time. Our Lord gave Satan the time he requested. The result of this fits in perfectly with Our Lady’s prophecy, wherein she adds: “During this epoch the Church will find herself attacked by terrible assaults from the Masonic sect … These years, during which the evil sect of Masonry will take control of the civil government, will see a cruel persecution of all religious communities … All the civil governments will have one and the same plan, which will be to abolish and do away with every religious principle, to make way for materialism, atheism, spiritualism and vice of all kinds. They will abolish civil rights, as well as ecclesiastical rights. All order and all justice will be trampled underfoot and only homicides, hate, jealousy, lies and dissension will be seen, without love for country or family.” (Our Lady of Good Success). Still blinded? Still unable to focus and see? “All Politicians Are Liars” The New York Times, in an article entitled “Finally, Science Shows That Politicians Are Lying Liars Who Lie”, speaks of politicians and lies, saying: “We watch with fascination as candidates for the world’s most powerful job trade falsehoods and allegations of dishonesty … We’ve come to expect and even joke about office-seekers who seem ‘truth-averse’ ― “How do you know a politician is lying? His lips are moving” ― many of us have given little thought to our own fibs and to how they compare with politicians’ deceits. What if PolitiFact looked at what we say to our spouses, friends and bosses?” The article goes on to say that for several decades, researchers throughout the world have found that “We all stretch the truth. We learned to deceive as toddlers. We rationalize our fabrications that benefit us. We tell little white lies daily that make others feel good. Now magnify that. Politicians distort the truth more often, use more self-justifications and deceive in larger ways, and with more consequences, experts in psychology and political science say.” The article then quotes Dr. Bella DePaulo, the psychology researcher at the University of California, as saying: “I feel more worried about lying in public life―specifically by politicians―than I ever have before!” She added that when lies succeed, they make it “more tempting to lie. Lies can stick. They can have a lingering effect, even if they are debunked.” A professor of psychology and behavioral economics at Duke University, Dr. Dan Ariely, says: “People want their politicians to lie to them. The reason that people want their politicians to lie them is that people care about politics. You understand that Washington is a dirty place and that lying is actually very helpful to get your policies implemented.” Dr. Jennifer Mercieca, a Texas A&M professor of communications, who studies political rhetoric and teaches fact-checking, said politicians “convince themselves that the ends justify the means” and “the reasons they are doing it are more important.” Political scientist and psychologist, Dr. Stanley Renshon, said politicians should be held up to a higher standard, but, over the decades, they and the government have been more deceitful and unwilling to tell the public something that could hurt them politically. When President Dwight Eisenhower misled the public about a spy plane captured by the Soviet Union, lying was a rarity. By the time President Bill Clinton strained the meaning of the word “is” testifying before a grand jury, it was more common. “We’ve become kind of numb to it,” said Pamela Meyer, the author of the book “Lie-Spotting” and chief executive officer of the private firm Calibrate, which that trains people and companies about how to spot deception. “In Washington, deception is the gift that keeps on giving.” Dr. Kang Lee, the professor at the University of Toronto, is working on a video camera that would study people’s heart rate, stress level, blood flow and mood, a kind of video lie detector called transdermal optical imaging. He envisions a future televised political debate, with a camera trained on the candidates showing their heart rates and breathing levels ― “an index of lying.” Who Do You Trust? Do you have confidence in God? Do you have confidence in politicians? Are politicians trying to “con” us? This brings back to mind the words spoken to President Reagan by the CIA Director, William Casey, in the 1981 initial presidential briefing of President Ronald Reagan, weeks after he took office ― “We’ll know our disinformation program is complete when everything the American public believes is false.” Barbara Honegger ― Assistant to the Chief Domestic Policy Adviser to President Reagan ― confirms that quote by Casey. Barbara Honegger said: “I am the source for this quote, which was indeed said by CIA Director, William Casey, at an early February 1981 meeting of the newly elected President Reagan with his new cabinet secretaries, to report to him on what they had learned about their agencies in the first couple of weeks of the administration. The meeting was in the Roosevelt Room in the West Wing of the White House, not far from the Cabinet Room. I was present at the meeting as Assistant to the chief domestic policy adviser to the President. Casey first told Reagan that he had been astonished to discover that over 80 percent of the ‘intelligence’― that the analysis side of the CIA produced ― was based on open public sources like newspapers and magazines. As he did to all the other secretaries of their departments and agencies, Reagan asked [Casey] what he saw as his goal as director for the CIA, to which he [Casey] replied with this quote, which I recorded in my notes of the meeting as he said it. Shortly thereafter I told Senior White House correspondent Sarah McClendon, who was a close friend and colleague, who in turn made it public.” (Barbara Honegger, Assistant to the Chief Domestic Policy Adviser to President Reagan). Not only does Honegger claim he said it, but apparently he said it in response to what he saw as his goal as CIA Director! Conned Citizens What does all this mean? It means that American public is being conned―they are being made to believe what is a lie, to accept as being true that which is untrue. That is the essence of a “confidence trick” ― you place your confidence in someone and they trick you. A confidence trick is an attempt to defraud a person or group after first gaining their trust. Confidence tricks exploit victims using their credulity, naïveté, compassion, vanity, irresponsibility, and greed. As Wikipedia summarizes: A confidence trick is an attempt to defraud a person or group after first gaining their trust. Confidence tricks exploit victims using their credulity, naïveté, compassion, vanity, irresponsibility, and greed. Synonyms for a “confidence trick” include con, confidence game, confidence scheme, rip-off, scam, and stratagem. The perpetrator of a confidence trick (or “con trick”) is often referred to as a confidence (or “con”) man, con-artist, or a “grifter”. Samuel Thompson (1821–1856) was the original “confidence man”. Thompson was arrested in July 1849. Reporting about this arrest, Dr. James Houston, a reporter of the New York Herald, publicized Thompson by naming him the “Confidence Man”. The National Police Gazette coined the term “confidence game” a few weeks after Houston first used the name “confidence man”. A confidence trick is also known as a con game, a con, a scam, a grift, a hustle, a bunko (or bunco), a swindle, a flimflam, a gaffle, or a bamboozle. The intended victims are known as marks, suckers, stooges, mugs, rubes, or gulls (from the word gullible). When accomplices are employed, they are known as shills. Short and Long Cons A short con or “small con” is a fast swindle which takes just minutes. It typically aims to rob the victim of everything in his wallet. A “long con” or “big con” (also, “long game”) is a scam that unfolds over several days, or weeks, or months, or even longer if the stakes are very high. It may involve a team of swindlers, and even props, sets, extras, costumes, and scripted lines. It aims to rob the victim of huge sums of money or valuables, often by getting him or her to empty out banking accounts and borrow from family members. The Stages Of The Con In Confessions of a Confidence Man, the former con-man, Edward H. Smith, lists the “six definite steps or stages of growth” of a confidence game. He notes that some of the following steps can be omitted. ► THE FOUNDATION WORK : Preparations are made in advance of the game, including the hiring of any assistants required and studying the background knowledge needed for the role. ► THE APPROACH : The victim is approached or contacted. ► THE BUILD-UP : The victim is given an opportunity to profit from participating in a scheme. The victim’s greed is encouraged, such that their rational judgment of the situation might be impaired. ► THE PAY-OFF OR CONVINCER : The victim receives a small payout as a demonstration of the scheme’s purported effectiveness. This may be a real amount of money or faked in some way. In a gambling con, the victim is allowed to win several small bets. In a stock market con, the victim is given fake dividends. ► THE “HURRAH” : A sudden manufactured crisis or change of events forces the victim to act or make a decision immediately. This is the point at which the con succeeds or fails. With a financial scam, the con artist may tell the victim that the “window of opportunity” to make a large investment in the scheme is about to suddenly close forever. ► THE IN-AND-IN : A conspirator (in on the con, but assumes the role of an interested bystander) puts an amount of money into the same scheme as the victim, to add an appearance of legitimacy. This can reassure the victim, and give the con man greater control when the deal has been completed. ► THE CORROBORATION : In addition, some games require a “corroboration” step, particularly those involving a fake, but purportedly “rare item” of “great value”. This usually includes the use of an accomplice who plays the part of an uninvolved (initially skeptical) third party, who later confirms the claims made by the con man. Why Do Cons Work? Confidence tricks exploit typical human characteristics such as greed, dishonesty, vanity, opportunism, lust, compassion, credulity, irresponsibility, desperation, and naïvety. As such, there is no consistent profile of a confidence trick victim; the common factor is simply that the victim relies on the good faith of the con artist. Victims of investment scams tend to show an incautious level of greed and gullibility, and many con artists target the elderly and other people thought to be vulnerable, using various forms of confidence tricks. Researchers Huang and Orbach argue: Cons succeed for inducing judgment errors—chiefly, errors arising from imperfect information and cognitive biases. In popular culture and among professional con men, the human vulnerabilities that cons exploit are depicted as ‘dishonesty,’ ‘greed,’ and ‘gullibility’ of the marks. Dishonesty, often represented by the expression ‘you can’t cheat an honest man,’ refers to the willingness of marks (the victims of the con) to participate in unlawful acts, such as rigged gambling and embezzlement. Greed, the desire to “get something for nothing,” is a shorthand expression of marks’ (victime’s) beliefs that “too-good-to-be-true gains” are realistic. Gullibility reflects beliefs that marks (victims of the con) are ‘suckers’ and ‘fools’ for entering into costly voluntary exchanges. Shills on “The Hill” Accomplices, also known as shills, help manipulate the mark into accepting the perpetrator’s plan. A “shill” ― also called a “plant” or a “stooge” ― is a person who publicly helps or gives credibility to a person or organization, without disclosing that they have a close relationship with the person or organization. Thus, you could say Fauci was a “shill” for “Big Pharma” because behind the scenes, he had a vested financial interest in “Big Pharma”. Likewise, you could say certain politicians are “shills” for “Big Pharma” and other big corporations―having being legally “bribed” by the lobbyists that continually work upon the politicians in order to “curry their favor” to vote on legislation that will financially benefit those big corporations. Shills can carry out their operations in the areas of media, journalism, marketing, politics, sports, confidence games, or other business areas. A shill may also act to discredit opponents or critics of the person or organization in which they have a vested interest through character assassination or other means. In most uses, shill refers to someone who purposely gives onlookers, participants or “marks” the impression of an enthusiastic customer independent of the seller, marketer or con artist, for whom they are secretly working. The person or group in league with the shill relies on crowd psychology to encourage other onlookers or audience members to do business with the seller or accept the ideas they are promoting. Shills may be employed by salespeople and professional marketing campaigns. Plant and stooge more commonly refer to a person who is secretly in league with another person or outside organization while pretending to be neutral or a part of the organization in which they are planted, such as a magician’s audience, a political party, or an intelligence organization.
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