Yancey speculates St Teresa took pleasure in witnessing children under her care starve

In response to my piece celebrating the Unsung American Heroines during the recent International Women's Day, Norinda Rosario Yancey has this to say about Saint Mother Teresa "I would recommend reading a little more about Mother Teresa. 

EWTN Meme:

She was quite troubled emotionally and spiritually. Though morbid, there is speculation based on her writings that she was oddly fascinated and may have even taken some pleasure in witnessing the starvation and illness of those she is said to have cared for. It's fascinating really, but I no longer regard her as a hero."   Yancey describes herself as an educator and a Metro Parks Tacoma, Washington employee and a JEDAI, illustrating the sorry state of affairs not only in education, but also the tax-payer funded parasitic bureaucracies, 

Norinda Rosario Yancey is not alone: Wikipedia has over 50 sources criticizing the saint and the New York Times writes that praying is not only a waste of time, but may be hazardous to your health. But cancel culture is not new.  It has been used for generations to impose a different world view.  People often rewrite history for a number of reasons:  money, power, revenge, jealousy and so on.  Take for instance the English invention of the Black Legend used to vilify Spain, the Catholic Church and Mixed Race people. Or the lies that Saint Junipero Serra maltreated native Americans..  That was quite the opposite. Or  Bill Clinton, Obama and  Anti Catholic historians blaming the Catholic Church and  the Crusades for Islamic Terrorism 

The Church has 2000 years dealing with the Yances, main stream media, the New York Times and others who want to see its destruction.  More lies, including the above have been aimed at destroying the Roman Catholic Church than any other institution in the world. So much that even most Catholics believe the lies they were taught in high school or have seen on T.V. and social media: Consider all the misrepresentations that Pope Francis has been subjected to, even when he clearly stated in his Laudato Si: "Since everything is interrelated, concern for the protection of nature, is incompatible with the justification of abortion" - Pope Francis in his book Forty Anti-Catholic Lies: A Myth-Busting Apologist Sets the Record Straight, Gerard Verschuuren refutes popular myths about Catholicism, while in "Seven Lies about Catholic History," Dr. Diane Moczar debunks revisionist history exposing the lies we have heard over and over again.

The Church, like St. Thomas Aquinas knows that "to one who has faith, no explanation is necessary.  to one without faith, no explanation is possible.  The Church also knows that miracles such as those attributed to Saint Teresa can often be manufactured. She knows that fallen humans sometimes make up stories for the purposes of fame or attention. She also knows that demons have certain powers that can make certain things appear miraculous.  Why the Church has developed a protocol to validate miraculous occurrences. In all these investigations, the Church is careful, thorough, and detached in her approach. She employs doctors, scientists, and competent authorities in order to rule out natural explanations or to understand the phenomenon better. Only when she has completed this stringent process does she validate the miracle.

Poor JEDAI Industry.  So far from God, so close to the most powerful office in the world

Progressive policies, Tribal Leaders & corrupt politicians have failed Native Americas & Alaska Natives.

 To say that the Reservation System allowed indigenous people to govern themselves and to maintain some of their cultural and social traditions. Originally created to keep Native Americans off of lands that newly arrived European Americans wished to settle has been a total failure is an understatement. The United Nations defines human rights as  "

Native American Totem as seen by 3rd grader

rights as freedom of movement; equality before the law; the right to a fair trial and presumption of innocence; freedom of thought, conscience and religion; freedom of opinion and expression; peaceful assembly; freedom of association; participation in public affairs and elections; and protection of minority rights. It prohibits arbitrary deprivation of life; torture, cruel or degrading treatment or punishment; slavery and forced labor; arbitrary arrest or detention; arbitrary interference with privacy; war propaganda; discrimination; and advocacy of racial or religious hatred."

Yet, Native Americans and Alaska Natives have and continue to suffer human  rights abuses due to  progressive policies which can be aptly characterized as War on Minorities: WON, corrupt politicians and incompetent tribal leadership.  Prior to Dr, Faucci, U.S. government doctors thought it was fine to experiment on disabled people, prison inmates and minorities, such experiments as  giving hepatitis to mental patients, squirting a pandemic flu virus up the noses of prisoners in Maryland,  injecting cancer cells into chronically ill people at a New York hospital, sterilizing Native American women whiteout their consent and notably the Tuskegee trials where for r 40 years, the US Public Health Service (PHS) conducted an experiment on African Americans men who suffered from syphilis, lured them under the guise of free medical care and meals but withheld treatment

When was the last time you counted the number of local, state & federal bureaucracies designed to help Native Americans? By my count, these are in the thousands. And how successful are they at managing taxpayer money in the name of helping  Native Americans? Look at the data:  On June 13, 2014, President Obama visited  the Standing Rock Sioux Tribe in North Dakota to highlight the challenges Native Americans face. In an op-ed in Indian Country Today, Obama called the poverty and high school dropout rates among Native Americans a moral call to action. Not to mention alcohol and drug abuse. While reservations vary drastically in size, population, political economy, culture and traditions,  all reservations face similar challenges: Native Americans account for only a small part of the U.S. population but they experience much higher rates of substance abuse compared to other racial and ethnic groups.  Then there's the general despair due to poverty and  lack of opportunity for the young ones.  The data clearly shows that the Native American and Alaska Native bureaucracies  have been a complete failure - not unlike most bureaucracies.

According to the New York Times, there may be a tribal exception: The financial success of the 480 members of the Shakopee Tribe, in Minnesota, with a reported 99.2 percent unemployment, due to its casino and resort operation. But casino and resort operations alone are not sustainable.

When presidential candidate Mitt Romney endorsed a proposal to eliminate major federal assistance programs for low-income Americans and turn them over to the states, The Center On Budget and Policy Priorities immediately  took Romney to task. writing"  the rationale he offered for doing so in this past Sunday’s “Meet the Press” debate — that the federal bureaucracy eats up most of the money Congress provides for these programs, and little actually reaches people in need — is simply false.  At least nine-tenths of federal spending for each of these programs (and in most cases, a higher percentage) reaches low-income Americans' - The fact of the matter is that anyone who owns the chart of accounts can make a P & L Statement read like a P or a L.  Putting that aside for a while, all government programs designed to help low income Americans by come with tons of red tape, which only the well-connected can navigate, are prone to political manipulations or as Lois G. Lerner, the IRS official who oversaw the IRS abuses targeting conservative groups, said the actions were  absolutely inappropriate by front-line people were not driven by partisan motives.. Ken Poirot observed that  "Wherever there is power, greed, and money, there is corruption," while  Timothy 1:10 says "For the love of money is the root of all evils, and some people in their desire for it have strayed from the faith and have pierced themselves with many pains."

Forbes' Simon Constable says that "there's too much misinformation about the U.S. government's food stamp scheme. So after some investigation, here are some facts about the benefit, also known as the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP)" and goes on to detail fraud as he sees it, where USDA defines USDA fraud  as" the exchange of benefits for cash or other ineligible items (trafficking) or purposefully misrepresenting information on your SNAP application in order to receive benefits that you are not entitled to or more benefits than you are entitled to receive."  

Many progressive solutions have been offered,  such as the one by the Center for American Progress,  In a classic misapplication of the theory of allocation, CAP writes that "American Indian and Alaska Native women in the United States make just 60 cents for every dollar earned by their white male counterparts, and this wage gap forces too many of them and their families into poverty." its akin to saying that if you mix apples and pineapples you could get crabapples:  A 5%, 25%, 50% or 100% pay raise has not changed anyone's lifestyle. To end alcoholism in reservations, USA Today's Naomi Schaefer Riley suggests a much more proactive tribal leadership

To really address the poverty, drug and alcohol abuse in the Native American and Alaska Natives, a new paradigm is required.  Building casinos as a way out is like serving alcohol in an Alcoholic, Anonymous meeting. You could throw away all the bureaucracies designed to help the Indigenous population and they would not fare any worse.  The only ones who would be hurt would be tribal leaders, bureaucrats and corrupt politicians - here are some thoughts 

1.  Abolish all bureaucracies designed to help Indigenous people and use the funds to set up high speed networks  and free computing devices for each family in the tribe, as in home office, call-center ready

2. Incentive businesses to train and hire Indigenous people. COVID has shown us that working remotely is possible - businesses do not need buildings in or near the reservations 

3.  Set up trade schools online, near or in the reservations 

4.  Stop all new construction of casinos 

Meta & Others agree to work-from-anywhere, Why not the Reservation?

5.  Avoid the one million dollar executive to take care of the homeless. Let Catholic faith based 
organizations help out with education, alcohol and drugs abuse. There are plenty of such groups already doing that job like: Sister Chato, a Navajo woman and member of the Sisters of the Blessed Sacrament, who works in the Diocese of Gallup serving the largest Native American reservation in the United States is Navajo Nation,  covering  northeastern Arizona and northwestern New Mexico, as well as parts of Utah.  There is  Sister Margaret Hillary, OP who has served the community on the Flathead Indian Reservation in Montana and The Sisters on the Frontlines. Sisters on the Frontline are prophetic witnesses and voices of hope. They are close to those who are in need and they are trusted by people of all walks of life

More politicians looking for photo opportunities is no longer acceptable.  More bureaucracies is not acceptable.  A paradigm change is required to end the misery and human rights abuses in the Res.

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Waltz & Keeler Plead Guilty to Illegal Campaign Contribution - links casinos to political corruption

Today, The DOJ and FBI announced John Keeler, a former Indianapolis-based casino executive pleaded guilty to causing false statements on the...

Center for Tribal Nations to transform Portland waterfront

Imagine a future in which first foods and medicines line the shores of the Willamette River in the OMSI district, Indigenous stories and design on full display, as flags from hundreds of Native nations fly proud. - And yet the Reservation remains economically disadvantaged, alcohol and drug abuse run rampant not to mention teen pregnancy.

 

You see. Progressive policies, Tribal Leaders & corrupt politicians have failed Native Americas & Alaska Natives.


https://www.conservativedailynews.com/2022/03/progressive-policies-tribal-leaders-corrupt-politicians-have-failed-native-americas-alaska-natives/

Hunter Biden Leads Venezuela Energy Delegation

According to the Hill, Senate Foreign Relations Committee Chairman Bob Menendez (D-N.J.) slammed the Biden Administration over oil talks between Biden administration officials and the government of Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro. While The Palestinian Wasp reports the US delegation is led by Hunter Biden. According to sources close to Mr Biden,  "Hunter is the perfect person due to his extensive experience in the energy sector, including advising Burisma Holdings Limited and he even wrote a book to prove it."  In the Book Beautiful Thing, Mr. Biden insists his relationship was not unethical, but he would not do it again.

 

Accompanying Mr, Hunter is transportation secretary, Mayor Pete.  A spokesperson for Mayor Pete said he was looking forward to meeting with the Venezuelan delegation because the country has the expertise required to manage empty shelves, directly applicable to the situation in America.

As reported by the Babylonian Bee

Reportedly, right after the Venezuela trip, Mr Biden is scheduled to travel to Myanmar,  as it is fast becoming the world's biggest producer of methamphetamine and synthetic drugs.  Biden's Spokesperson said the Delegation was fortunate to have his hands-on expertise in the supply chain.  Mr. Biden's goal i to strike a deal for a record buy. "Our goal is to meet the Average American Needs," he said. "The more readily available the drugs to average Americans, the happier they will be and  inflation and war will no longer be top of mind for them," he added.

According to the Palestinian Wasp, the last country in the itinerary is Zimbabwe.  Mayor Pete who recently returned from maternity leave, came across the Curious Kids website  where the question was asked: "What country has the most printed money?"  The corresponding answer was "At the moment, there is one country that can get richer by printing more money, and that's the United States (a country that is already very wealthy). This is because most of the valuable things that countries around the world buy and sell to one another, including gold and oil, are priced in US dollars."  So why Zimbabwe you may ask?   Zimbabwe banknotes ranging from 10 dollars to 100 billion dollars were printed within a one-year period. Mayor Pete thinks he has stumbled upon a solution to the high cost of energy:  Buy electric cars with the newly printed money!  By the way, the magnitude of the Zimbabwe currency scalars signifies the extent of the hyperinflation

International Women's Day: The Unsung American Heroines

Today, March 8 is International Women's Day which celebrates women's social, economic, cultural and political achievements and marks a call to action for accelerating gender parity. This year's theme focuses on women in the context of climate change: "Gender equality today for a sustainable tomorrow; #BreakTheBias. Doing a quick Google Search one can immediately see that the majority of the women featured in articles and advertisements are women of color. But surprisingly, powerful women like Condoleezza Rice, currently the Denning Professor in Global Business and the Economy at the Stanford Graduate School of Business are nowhere to be seen.  Neither is Michelle Obama or Hilary Clinton. Worse, yet, the wife of Ukraine’s President Zelensky, who has made an emotional plea to international media to report the terrible truth of Russian forces killing children in their attack on Ukraine is not even mentioned

Collage of Google search: IWD 2022

I would expect that with such theme, for sure Sister Theresa Chato, a Navajo woman and member of the Sisters of the Blessed Sacrament who serves at Our Lady of Fatima, a church built in the traditional Navajo hogan style in the heart of the reservation in Chinle, Arizona, where parishioners gather to celebrate their Catholic faith grounded in the context of their Navajo culture and traditions, would be featured front and center, right?  Sister Chato is the director of religious education, ministers to families and elders in the community, upholds parish life, volunteers at the parish food bank and attends to her parishioners in their spiritual and personal needs. The Navajo Nation is the largest Native American reservation in the United States covering northeastern Arizona and northwestern New Mexico, as well as parts of Utah. The boundaries of the Diocese of Gallup mirror this multi-state territory.

Catholic Extension writes that Sister Chato's leadership position within the parish aligns with the traditional matriarchal Navajo society, wherein women are the guiders of the people among the more than 100 different clans “Navajo clans are matrilineal. So, our mother’s clan is the most important one,” said Sister Chato. “Our clans tell other Navajos how we are related to one another. We are not just individual persons with our own identity.”

What about Mother Henriette Delille, a French-speaking woman of African descent, who was born in 1812 and lived a part of her life as a mistress in a social system known as placage, whereby wealthy white European men supported free women of color and who may become the first American of African descent to become saint.  At the age of 24, Mother Delille experienced a religious transformation that led to the formation of the Sisters of the Holy Family order. The community of Creole nuns cared for those on the bottom rung of antebellum society, administering to the elderly, nursing the sick and teaching people of color, who at the time had limited education opportunities. To this day, Holy Family nuns continue good works around the globe.

What about Saint Elizabeth Ann Seton?  Saint Seton was born into a wealthy Episcopalian family in New York City on August 28, 1774. Her father, Dr. Richard Bayley, was a doctor and one of the first health officials in New York City. Her mother, Catherine Charlton Bayley, died when Elizabeth was only three years old. Saint Seton was the first American to be canonized as a saint. She was raised Episcopalian, but later converted to Catholicism. Through the struggles and tragedies she faced in life, she remained devout. She is the founder of the first Catholic schools in the United States and is the patron saint of Catholic schools, widows, and seafarers.

Or what about the Jesuit and Franciscan Sisters who in In 1888 started work on what would become the  Red Cloud Indian School at the request of, and on a site designated by, Chief Red Cloud. Using primarily their own labor and that of local Indians, they began construction of the main mission building. All of the bricks for the building were made on the mission ground from local clay and lime. Not only did Red Cloud meet spiritual needs, it also provided an education to Indians through its school.  The following decades brought many challenges to the new school, namely poverty and disease. But it also brought growth and hope: Students came to the school from as far away as Wyoming and New Mexico, and the land began to produce enough food to feed the growing number of students and staff. A Catholic-Indian conference was held each year, drawing a large number of clergy and religious as well as Native American laypeople. Records from the Franciscan Sisters note that Masses held at the beginning of each conference featured singing in both Latin and Lakota—a telling sign of the cooperation and partnership between the Lakota and the Jesuits.

Certainly Mother Katharine Drexel would qualify.  Katharine Drexel, heiress to a multi-million dollar estate, entered the convent and decided to give her life to the service of her Native and African-American brethren. while on a trip with her family out West, Katharine witnessed firsthand the terrible condition of the Native people. She also took note of the hardships endured by African-Americans, who struggled to find work, education, and fair treatment. She and her sisters dove wholeheartedly into supporting the missions that served these populations. In 1891, she took her first religious vows, and with some other sisters founded the Sisters of the Blessed Sacrament for Indians and Colored People. In addition to the vows of poverty, chastity, and obedience, Katharine took a fourth one: “To be the mother and servant of the Indian and Negro races.”  During her life, Mother Katharine founded dozens of missions and schools for black and Native Americans in sixteen states. Among them is Xavier University in New Orleans, the only historically-black Catholic college in the country. 

Not to mention Sister Margaret Hillary, OP who has served the community on the Flathead Indian Reservation in Montana as pastoral counselor and youth minister in the community. Along with fellow Dominican Sister Edith Schnell, Sister Margaret Hillary they serve families at St. Ignatius Mission Parish and helped the community navigate through the pandemic.  With a grant from Sisters on the Frontlines, they paid for  internet service for a family of nine with several children who suffer from chronic health issues. The Sisters on the Frontlines was launched during the pandemic with the exceptional goal of providing 1,000 Catholic sisters with $1,000 each. Each sister used the funds to help an individual or family suffering extremely adverse affects due to the pandemic. The Sisters on the Frontline  are prophetic witnesses and voices of hope. They are close to those who are in need and they are trusted by people of all walks of life. Sisters on the Frontlines was formed by an alliance including Catholic Extension, Congregation of St. Joseph, Conrad N. Hilton Fund for Sisters, FADICA, GHR Foundation, Raskob Foundation for Catholic Activities, Sisters of Charity Foundation of Cleveland, and the Sisters of Mercy of the Americas

LinkdIn Post

In a LinkedIn post, Cindy Gallop suggests that women on International Women's Day and every other day should not use words like empower or celebrate, instead use words like hire, promote, pay, bonus, fund, invest and so on. Certainly the women featured herein have a different view:  More like how can I help, what do you need?

The Choice Before Russia not unlike The Choice Before Israel: Life or Death

Updated 3/12/2022  Added Video:  Why Ukraine Matters::  https://www.goodcatholic.com/video/why-ukraine-matters-to-catholics-how-to-help/

The Choice before Russia is not unlike the choice before Israel. Putin and his followers like Tatian have made their choice.  Will the Russian people life and prosperity or death and doom? In todays readings, Deuteronomy 30:5 tells that "Moses said to the people: “Today I have set before you life and prosperity, death and doom. If you obey the commandments of the LORD, your God, which I enjoin on you today,

loving him, and walking in his ways, and keeping his commandments, statutes and decrees, you will live and grow numerous, and the LORD, your God, will bless you in the land you are entering to occupy. If, however, you turn away your hearts and will not listen, but are led astray and adore and serve other gods, I tell you now that you will certainly perish; you will not have a long life on the land that you are crossing the Jordan to enter and occupy. I call heaven and earth today to witness against you:

Tatiana responds to UNICEF appeal by blaming the West for Russian aggression, Declaring that the Ukranian Church is a Russian Church, that religion belongs in places for worship, even though Putin banned worship, AND still supports the man

In 2016, Putin signed into law a number of severe restrictions to religious freedom, banning preaching, praying, proselytizing, and disseminating religious materials outside of officially-designated areas but the Ukrainian people have stood valiantly with faith and courage facing a relentless aggressor, due in great measure to the Catholic and Orthodox roots of the Ukraine, not the Russian Church as Tatiana would like you to believe. We have witnessed everyday heroes  of the Ukraine, like the the Father Oleksander,the Catholic Priest who runs the Ukrainian Catholic EWTN network, and refused to leave, 
the elderly man who offered to give a broken down Russian tank a lift back to Russia, the young married couple who wed early so they could fight together and if necessary die together before God. We have watched President Zelensky refuse an offer from President Joe Biden to have him and his family evacuated , saying ‘I need ammunition, not a ride.’

Today  as the Russian invasion rages on, the on, the 20- something soldiers sent by Vladimir Putin to massacre civilians in the Ukraine have a choice choice before them: life and prosperity, death and doom. Will the make the right choice, or will they continue to martyr innocent Ukrainians?

Ash Wednesday Request From Pope Francis: Fast and Pray for end of conflict in Ukraine

Updated 3/12/2022 with How You Can Help Ukraine video

Today is Ash Wednesday.  Each year, Ash Wednesday marks the beginning of Lent and is always 46 days before Easter Sunday. Lent is a 40-day season (not counting Sundays) marked by repentance, fasting, reflection, and ultimately celebration. The 40-day period represents Christ’s time of temptation in the wilderness, where he fasted and where Satan tempted him. Lent asks believers to set aside a time each year for similar fasting, marking an intentional season of focus on Christ’s life, ministry, sacrifice, and resurrection 

Ash Wednesday

Last Friday,  Pope Francis made an unprecedented visit to the Russian embassy with a message for Putin to end this war. He subsequently asked all Catholics to fast and pray for its end, particularly today on Ash Wednesday.  ABC News reported that  " The Vatican press office confirmed that Pope Francis made a visit to the Russian Embassy to the Holy See to express his concern about the fighting in Ukraine on Friday morning....The visit came as a surprise as it did not follow typical protocol.

Pope Francis, like the rest of us has been witnessing the deaths and suffering of innocent people, including an Orthodox priest.  We are stunned as we saw bombs falling and apartment buildings leveled. We are watching the tragedy of the aggression toward the Ukrainian people. We have also been witnessing the courage of the everyday heroes of the Ukraine, like the the Catholic Priest who runs the Ukrainian Catholic EWTN network, 

Catholic Priest refuses to leave Ukraine

the elderly man who offered to give a broken down Russian tank a lift back to Russia, the young married couple who wed early so they could fight together and if necessary die together before God. We have watched President Zelensky refuse an offer from Joe Biden to have him and his family evacuated , saying 'I need ammunition, not a ride.'  There is the elderly driver crushed by Russian tank in Ukraine is miraculously rescued alive - something the Anti Semitic, Anti Catholic New York Times may claim is scientifically impossible

Couple marries so they can fight together and if necessary die together before God

The Ukrainian people have stood valiantly with faith and courage facing a relentless aggressor, due in great measure to the Catholic and Orthodox roots of the Ukraine - to the symbol of St. Michael their protector. Saint Michael the Archangel (Архангел Михаїл; Arkhanhel Mykhail), the supreme angel in Christian belief has a leading role in the struggle against Satan—hence, the name Arkhystratyh Mykhail ‘the Supreme Commander Michael.’ He was believed to have taken thunder away from Satan and handed it over to Saint Elijah. Ukrainians adopted Saint Michael as the patron saint of hunters and the city of Kyiv.

Wikipedia: Michael the Archangel. A 13th-century Byzantine icon from the Monastery of St. Catherine, Sinai.

A classic fight of Evil versus Good.  Perhaps the best indicator is a country's prolife stance:  On July 7, 2016, Russian President Vladimir Putin signed into law  a number of severe restrictions to religious freedom, essentially banning preaching, praying, proselytizing, and disseminating religious materials outside of officially-designated locations.    It is no coincidence that the main reasons for Russia's annual population decline are high death rate, low birth rate, high rate of abortions, and a low level of immigration. According to the U.S. Central Intelligence Agency's World Factbook, Russia has a very high death rate of 13.4 deaths per 1000 people per year.  In 2005, 1.6 million abortions were registered in Russia; 20% of these involved girls under the age of 18. Official statistics put the number of abortions at 737,948 in 2016. As of 2010, the abortion rate was 37.4 abortions per year per 1000 women aged 15–44 years, the highest of any country reported in UN data. While in the U.S. we have Black Genocide:  The killing of preborns, mostly African American, enabled by progressive policies and the main stream media, Russia has its own genocide as a result of banning Christianity

On the other hand, prior to 1991, abortion in Ukraine was governed by the abortion laws of the Soviet Union, while the laws have not changed since then abortion rates have fallen from 109 abortions per 1000 women  to 21.2  as of 2010. Abortion rates in Ukraine and Belarus have converged in recent years, creating a large gap with post-Soviet Russia.

While Archbishop José Gomez, president of the U.S. bishops’ conference, on Thursday encouraged the undertaking of prayer and fasting for an end to the Ukraine conflict. “On behalf of my brother bishops, I echo the Holy Father’s call for prayer and fasting to end the war in Ukraine. In times of trouble, we call on the tender mercy of God … to guide our feet to the way of peace (Luke 1:78-79). May our prayers, joined with those of people around the world, help guide those waging war to end the meaningless suffering and restore peace,” Archbishop Gomez said Feb. 24. Catholic Relief Services has launched an urgent appeal  to raise funds to help those affected.  CRS and Caritas partners on the ground are preparing across Ukraine and in bordering countries, ready to provide safe shelter, hot meals, hygiene supplies, fuel to keep warm, transport to safe areas, counseling support and more. "Your help is needed in Ukraine where there are already more than 2.9 million people in need of assistance. There is great risk of additional suffering both within Ukraine and for those who may flee to neighboring countries for safety.  CRS and our partners need immediate support to meet both ongoing needs, as well as those related to families forced to flee their homes as the situation intensifies."

Pope Francis is  calling the world to repentance and to join the Church in praying and fasting for an end to the war in Ukraine.  CRS is associated with the Catholic Church an is one of the most trusted charities.

Catholic Relief Services Help Ukraine Campaign

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Dr Ben Carson's Ukraine Backgrounder

 If you want to know how we got her, you may want to start with Dr. Ben Carson's Ukraine Backgrounder below Over the last week, the enti

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  Just Say Nyet to War in Ukraine, Da to Peace

  I have argued that the biggest threat to Europe, Africa & the Middle East is not Russia or the Taliban, but Islam. The Biggest Threat t...

Catholic Relief Services is here to help Ukraine

CRS is the official humanitarian aid agency of the U.S. Catholic community. It began in 1943 by the Catholic Bishops of the United States to serve World War II survivors and since then it has achieved worldwide recognition for its enormous success in assisting indigenous people in over 100 countries while operating with very low overhead expenses. Its relief and development work is accomplished through programs of emergency response and through cooperation with many established international programs.

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Dr Ben Carson's Ukraine Backgrounder

 If you want to know how we got her, you may want to start with Dr. Ben Carson's Ukraine Backgrounder below

Over the last week, the entire world has had their eyes focused on the heart-breaking war in Ukraine. As we have watched this tragedy unfold, a lot of questions have come to mind. How did we get here? What is this war about? Why should we as Americans care about this conflict happening half a world away? What can be done?  

The American Cornerstone Institute has prepared this short background document for you and your family so you can better understand what is happening between Russia and Ukraine. I hope you will find it insightful.- Dr. Ben Carson

Ukraine Backgrounder Page 1/3

 

Ukraine Backgrounder 2/3

Ukraine Backgrounder 3/3

Just Say Nyet to War in Ukraine, Da to Peace

Updated 3/12/2022  Added Video:  Why Ukraine Matters::  https://www.goodcatholic.com/video/why-ukraine-matters-to-catholics-how-to-help/

I have argued that the biggest threat to Europe, Africa & the Middle East is not Russia or the Taliban, but Islam. The Biggest Threat to China is not Russia or the USA but Christianity in general & Pope Francis specifically. In fact, Christianity has been a threat to authoritarian regimes for 2 000 years.

You may recall that On April 6, 2009, President Obama, speaking  in Turkey, effectively proclaimed that the United States did not consider itself a Judeo-Christian nation.

Christianity in the world

"Although, as I mentioned, we have a very large Christian population, we do not consider ourselves a Christian nation or a Jewish nation" - "fact checkers immediately went to work to refine what Obama actually said - very much along the lines of rewriting history.  Ditto for the statement: " I will stand with the Muslims should the political winds shift in an ugly direction." included in his book Dreams of My Father.  Again self-proclaimed fact checkers came in to argue semantics.  While we can argue semantics ad nauseum, the fact speak for themselves:  Obama, like Joe Biden,  a self professed Christian, 

was the most Anti-Christian president in US history

Biggest World Threats

On July 7, 2016, Russian President Vladimir Putin signed into law a package of amendments with the declared purpose of countering terrorism and ensuring public safety. These amendments, known as the Yarovaya law, which went into effect July 20, present a number of severe restrictions to religious freedom, essentially banning preaching, praying, proselytizing, and disseminating religious materials outside of officially-designated locations. Writes Religious Freedom Institute's Elizabeth A. Clark.  

It is no coincidence that the main reasons for Russia's annual population decline are high death rate, low birth rate, high rate of abortions, and a low level of immigration. According to the U.S. Central Intelligence Agency's World Factbook, Russia has a very high death rate of 13.4 deaths per 1000 people per year.  In 2005, 1.6 million abortions were registered in Russia; 20% of these involved girls under the age of 18. Official statistics put the number of abortions at 737,948 in 2016. As of 2010, the abortion rate was 37.4 abortions per year per 1000 women aged 15–44 years, the highest of any country reported in UN data. While in the U.S. we have Black Genocide:  The killing of preborns, mostly African American, enabled by progressive policies and the main stream media, Russia has its own genocide as a result of banning Christianity

Using the same data, ABC News could have accurately reported that the Killing of preborns was down by 60% in Texas in the first month under the most pro-life law in the U.S. - but decided to support the killing lobby

Christianity in a most restrictive environment was the religious self-identification of 47.1% of the Russian population in 2012 according to Atlas. Whereas Ukraine is an overwhelmingly Orthodox Christian nation, much larger than that of the United States and overwhelmingly much larger than that of the United Kingdom at around 55%

The history of the Church is full of many Martyred saints, who received recognition for great deeds or meritorious conduct. Many lost their lives in defense of the faith, while others were themselves the mothers of important saints. Many were also honored for their contributions to the Church and their community. Catholic Online writes that "The Greek word martus signifies a witness who testifies to a fact of which he has knowledge from personal observation. It is in this sense that the term first appears in Christian literature; the Apostles were "witnesses" of all that they had observed in the public life of Christ, as well as of all they had learned from His teaching, "in Jerusalem, and in all Judea, and Samaria, and even to the uttermost part of the earth" ( Acts 1:8 )


Today, the Catholic Priest who runs the Ukranian Catholic EWTN network decided to stay in Kyiv, rather than to flee.

Ukraine Priest willing to be martyred 

St Thomas Aquinas posited that to one who has faith no explanation is necessary to one without faith no explanation is possible:  While Wikipedia diminishes the power of prayer "The efficacy of prayer has been studied since at least 1872, generally through experiments to determine whether prayer or intercessory prayer has a measurable effect on the health of the person for whom prayer is offered. Empirical research indicates that prayer and intercessory prayer have no discernible effects."  The Anti Catholic New York Times goes even further:  At least one earlier study found lower complication rates in patients who received intercessory prayers; others found no difference. A 1997 study at the University of New Mexico, involving 40 alcoholics in rehabilitation, found that the men and women who knew they were being prayed for actually fared worse."  In a study by the US National Library of Medicine National Institute of Health concludes. "We believe that the research has led nowhere, and that future research, if any, will forever be constrained by the scientific limitations that we outline."

On the other hand, the Catholic Church believes miracles are works of God such as healing miracles- Jesus healed people who were sick or disabled. Exorcism. the act of freeing someone of demons. Restoration of Life -there are three occasion in the gospel eyes Jesus raises people from the dead and Nature miracle - a miracle in which Jesus shows his power over nature.

James 5:13 tells us about the power of prayer in "The Prayer of Faith Is any one among you suffering? Let him pray. Is any cheerful? Let him sing praise. 14 Is any among you sick? Let him call for the elders of the church, and let them pray over him, anointing him with oil in the name of the Lord; 15 and the prayer of faith will save the sick man, and the Lord will raise him up; and if he has committed sins, he will be forgiven.[a] 16 Therefore confess your sins to one another, and pray for one another, that you may be healed. The prayer of a righteous man has great power in its effects."

I also pray I will not be tested beyond the Threshold Of Belief - because prayer and suffering are not mutually exclusive, but complementary as illustrated in todays reading of 1 Peter 1:3-9 "A Living Hope3 Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ! By his great mercy we have been born anew to a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead, 4 and to an inheritance which is imperishable, undefiled, and unfading, kept in heaven for you, 5 who by God’s power are guarded through faith for a salvation ready to be revealed in the last time. 6 In this you rejoice,[a] though now for a little while you may have to suffer various trials, 7 so that the genuineness of your faith, more precious than gold which though perishable is tested by fire, may redound to praise and glory and honor at the revelation of Jesus Christ. 8 Without having seen[b] him you[c] love him; though you do not now see him you[d] believe in him and rejoice with unutterable and exalted joy. 9 As the outcome of your faith you obtain the salvation of your soul"

Certainly peace under a nuclear threat, at this moment seems unattainable; Belarus just revoked her non-nuclear status, allowing Russia to mobilize nuclear force.  Perhaps as impossible as the victory of David over Goliath.  But  Matthew 19:26  tells us  Jesus looked at them and said, “For human beings this is impossible, but for God all things are possible.

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The Beatles Let It Be or The Kitchen Madona

 Any Catholic who has ever heard the beautiful lyrics of the beautiful Beatles' song "Let it be" must have surely thought it  was a prayer to the Blessed Virgin Mary. On February 23, 2022 Pope Francis invoked the following:  "May the Queen of Peace preserve the worlds from the madness of war".

 Until today, I thought the song was a prayer to Mother Mary. When asked whether the song was religious, in typical marketeeze, the Beatles left it up to the fans to decide.  Some accounts say the inspiration was Paul McCarthy's mom who died of cancer and would appear to him in his dreams. 

It is said John Lennon's disliked the song, but it still became an iconic hit, reaching No. 1 on the Billboard Hot 100 chart on April 11, 1970. 

Consider some of the lyrics

"When I find myself in times of trouble, Mother Mary comes to me

Speaking words of wisdom, let it be

And in my hour of darkness she is standing right in front of me

Speaking words of wisdom, let it be" 

In he piece titled Our Lady of the Coronavirus published March 22, 2020, Angelo Jesus Canta writes the “at a time of social distancing, increased anxiety and worldwide fear, Francis is not just making an appeal to Catholic devotion. He is calling us all to consider Mary not as an abstract helper but as a mother who has a proven track record of healing, protecting and watching over her people.”

Compare part of the prayer recited by Pope Francis recited on on March 11, 2020 asking Mother Mary to protect Italy and the world from the pandemic as translated by the Catholic News Service:

Under your protection, we seek refuge, Holy Mother of God. Do not disdain the entreaties of us who are in trial, but deliver us from every danger, O glorious and blessed Virgin.

Now the Catholic Company has a different insight about the Blessed Mother. 

It suggests that when you make dinner, or clean up a messy kitchen the Blessed Mother can empathize with you.  While she reigns as Queen in heaven, on earth, she lived the life of a humble housewife. cooking countless meals for Jesus and Joseph, scrubbed countless dishes, washed countless floors, and did countless loads of laundry. 

The Catholic Company Kitchen Madonna

It says that Our Lady, The Kitchen Madonna knows the stress and weariness of everyday tasks, means she can help you find new purpose and energy for everything you.

• The key represents 1) the safety of the home against worldly dangers and 2) prayer, which opens Heaven’s door 

• The kettle symbolizes the nourishment of both body and soul 

• The broom represents the cleanliness of our earthly and spiritual lives

Whether you have a Kitchen Madonna or Gospel music in the background, this is sure to help with the anxiety caused by current events.

As St, Thomas Aquinas said: "To one who has faith, no explanation is necessary. To one without faith, no explanation is possible."  So, whether at work or in the kitchen: Pray for people in Ukraine , Pray for people in Russia, Pray to Blessed Mother Mary: - today's scriptures are apropos Jas 5:13-20 

The fervent prayer of a righteous person is very powerful.

Elijah was a man like us;

yet he prayed earnestly that it might not rain,

and for three years and six months it did not rain upon the land.

Then Elijah prayed again, and the sky gave rain

and the earth produced its fruit. 

Of The Rise & Fall of the Roman Empire & The Rise and Fall of the American Experiment

 Why should we study history? in a piece in the American Historical Association Peter Stearns verbosely tries to justify studying history, as if he was trying to justify his profession: While he is on the right track when he asserts that

Any subject of study needs justification: its advocates must explain why it is worth attention. ...Historians do not perform heart transplants, improve highway design, or arrest criminals. In a society that quite correctly expects education to serve useful purposes, the functions of history can seem more difficult to define than those of engineering or medicine. History is in fact very useful, actually indispensable, but the products of historical study are less tangible, sometimes less immediate, than those that stem from some other disciplines

Then he goes on to add over 15 000 words as justification covering the following

• History Helps Us Understand People and Societies
• History Helps Us Understand Change and How the Society We Live in Came to Be
• The Importance of History in Our Own Lives
• History Contributes to Moral Understanding
• History Provides Identity
• Studying History Is Essential for Good Citizenship
• What Skills Does a Student of History Develop?
• History Is Useful in the World of Work

But Stearns apparently fails to apply his lecture to the world around us:  To enforce Protestant orthodoxy,  for example, England used the same tactics as the #Taliban and the #Chinese during the Cultural Revolution, or the Puritan vanguard whose mission was dedicated to the destruction of an entire world view.  On September 8, 2021 NPR published a piece titled:  Virginia's Massive Robert E. Lee Statue Has Been Removed— was lifted into the air by a crane

On Wednesday, the state of Virginia removed the 12-ton statue of Confederate Gen. Robert E. Lee more than 130 years after it was installed in Richmond.

Despite its massive size, it was lifted from its pedestal in one piece and is headed for storage. Gov. Ralph Northam, a Democrat, was there as the statue came down and appeared pleased by its removal. A crowd also chanted and cheered as the statue of Lee — atop a horse — was lifted into the air by a crane

As soon as Joe Biden was installed President, Democrats pushed for a restoration bill as described by Forbes' Gina Heeb in the piece titled
Democrats Push For Reparations Bill, Testing White House Support

Congressional Democrats renewed their push for a federal study of racial reparations at a committee hearing Wednesday, the latest test of whether President Joe Biden would support compensation to Black Americans for centuries of slavery and systemic racism in the U.S.....
It has garnered the support of more than 170 co-sponsors in Congress, Representative Sheila Jackson Lee, who introduced the bill known as H.R. 40, said at the House Judiciary subcommittee hearing

While Cancel Culture is Not a New Construct - It's Been used to Impose a Different Worldview Stearns fails to tell us that perhaps we failed our history class.  Or perhaps we have been plagued with fake historians.  People often rewrite history for a number of reasons:  money, power, revenge, jealousy and so on.  Take for instance the English invention of the Black Legend used to vilify Spain, the Catholic Church and  Mixed Race people. Or the lies that Saint Junipero Serra maltreated native Americans. It was quite the opposite

Using the same data, ABC News could have correctly reported: Killings of preborns, mostly African American in Texas, fell by 60% in the first month under the most prolife law in the U.S.

Or take for instance Bill Clinton, Obama and  AntiCatholic historians blaming the Catholic Church and  the Crusades for Islamic Terrorism. Bill Clinton in a 11/7_2001 speech at Georgetown University, not unlike AntiCatholic historians, blames the Catholic Church and the  Crusades for Islamic terrorism!

The Fair Packaging and Labeling Act of 1967 requires all "consumer commodities be labeled to disclose net contents, identity of commodity, and name and place of business of the product's manufacturer, packer, or distributor. .. The Act authorizes additional regulations where necessary to prevent consumer deception" 

But much more important than what touches our body is what touches our mind! How about new labeling regulation for mainstream media, high tech and historians?

From NPR's Nina Totenberg's reporting on SCOTUS MaskGate, to the Business Insider/CSPAN claim that Historians ranked President Trump among the worst presidents in US History to the coverage of the Covington Kids, The Kyle Rittenhouse Trial, the Russia Hoax, the censoring of Hunter Biden's computer and on and on.

But I digress.  Perhaps we should study history to avoid making previous mistakes, to use as a general benchmark to show the human spirit can reach the impossible, as seen in the present and to guard against fake historians/

As  Carl Young, Assistant Professor of Classics and one of the two professors teaching Hillsdale College’s newest free online course, “The Rise and Fall of the Roman Republic.” puts it 

As I’ve discovered in my own life, to learn from Rome’s triumphs and disasters is to receive a rich moral and political education. And I think our schools—and we as a nation—would be far better off if we spent more of our time studying the great figures and events from Roman history.

The course explores the great deeds of Romulus, Lucretia, Cato, Scipio Africanus, Cicero, Caesar, and others as well as the virtues that made ancient Rome great and examine the challenges that led to its collapse." 

A worthwhile endeavor, as many books gave been written about the Rise and Fall of America. And considering what is going on around us today, some would say we are rapidly approaching the end of the American Experiment. “The Rise and Fall of the Roman Republic” is set to be released on March 15. To reserve your spot , click on the link provided:  Perhaps we can learn how to avoid the Great Fall

Der Spiel Names Putin Man of the Century

According to The Hill, 62% of voters say Putin wouldn’t have invaded Ukraine if Trump were president. And according to the Palestinian Wasp, Der Spiel just run a poll showing 99.9% of Germans selected Vladimir Putin as the Man of the Century. This all happened after Merkel agreed to pay for the Russia gas pipeline and pledged to withhold funds from NATO to pay for Germany’s own defense.  We must do what is best for Germany and the German People and not the NATO allies”  Merkel said, according to the Wasp.

The Wasp also reports that Joe Biden spoke to Vladimir Putin and told him to take off the heat until after the election. Putin said Nye

So the Big Guy said, no need to invade, just carve out Ukraine & gobble up the pieces and Putin said Nyet

So, then the EU decided to increases the pressure on Russia by blowing lots of hot air, while single-handedly Elon Musk does more to help Ukraine than all of them combined

Putin says Nyet

Then Belarus revokes her non-nuclear status, allowing Russia to mobilize nuclear forces in the country.

So the Big Guy said Russia could have Ukraine and give Taiwan to China and while Germany pays for oil pipeline and withholds NATO funds to pay for her own defense she declares Putin Man Of The Century

………As long as the Big Guy gets his usual 25%