Category: The Progressive Impact on Society

“Know ye that the Lord he is God: he made us, and not we ourselves.”

Psalms 99:3 Douay Rheims Bible

Out of the depths of Judeo-Christian history comes a word speaking directly to the confusion, rebellion, and despair abundant in this present age. How astounding to find a truth, written in the hazy mists of time somewhere beyond two millennia ago, so striking in the prescience and accuracy with which it confronts the “transgender” nonsense prevalent in this era supposedly representing the pinnacle of human knowledge and wisdom.

“And not we ourselves.” God created us, and we did not. And therefore, we must accept how he created us: male and female, designed to be fathers and mothers, complementing and accompanying each other in this life He has given us. St. Robert Bellarmine sees in this passage an expression of the deepest gratitude to God:

“Enter into his house with praise and thanksgiving, acknowledging you owe all to him, and have received everything from him.” [1]

Yet today we are surrounded with denial of this obvious truth, and instead of gratitude we witness outright rebellion in the cacophony spewing forth from the progressive elites. “Transgender” implies it is possible to transition between the male and female genders, or that there might be some spectrum of intermediate genders which are neither male nor female. But human gender is written indelibly into each and every one of the 30 trillion or so cells in the human body. The biological mechanism for sex determination allows for only two genders, male and female. Colin Wright helps us to understand this in a particularly clear statement:

“When biologists speak of sex being “binary,” we mean something very straightforward. There exist only two sexes, which are fundamentally rooted in the binary classification between sperm and ova. Males have the function of producing small gametes (sperm), and females large gametes (ova). Other measurable sex differences beyond gametes (which include genetic differences, hormone levels, and average morphological and behavioral differences) are either a cause or consequence of this fundamentally binary and definitional distinction between males and females, and they need not be binary.” [2]

Disorders which arise with the chromosomes determining gender in humans do not result in gender variants – they are abnormalities which happen at a very low rate in this extremely complex system called the human body. Similarly, psychological disorders can interfere with a person’s proper perception of their gender.

As we are taught by the Catechism in the case of homosexual disorders [3], charity must be exercised in dealing with those suffering from gender disorders. But the exercise of charity does not mean the right thing to do is to pretend the disorders do not exist. Yet the American Psychiatric Association did exactly that in 2013. The APA Fact Sheet describing the reclassification of gender disorders is a masterpiece of deception:

“ . . . people whose gender at birth is contrary to the one they identify with will be diagnosed with gender dysphoria. . . . The critical element of gender dysphoria is the presence of clinically significant distress associated with the condition.” [4]

The term “gender at birth” implies gender is an arbitrary assignment, one that might be changed, made at birth by doctors or others who have no appreciation for the inherent being of the newborn baby. This is simply false. As discussed above, a person’s gender is determined at the cellular level, and is immutable. Further, while people with psychological gender disorders experience a conflict between the truth of how they were created and their erroneous perceptions of that creation, this re-definition of the condition now commits some clever sleight of hand, and asserts the real issue here to be the symptom: “ . . . the presence of clinically significant distress associated with the condition.” The idea that the underlying problem is the discomfort experienced with injury or disease, rather than the actual injury or disease, would never be considered for physical ailments.

A similar ploy is used by those who would make a distinction between gender and sex, as in this statement from the World Health Organization:

“Gender refers to the characteristics of women, men, girls and boys that are socially constructed. This includes norms, behaviours and roles associated with being a woman, man, girl or boy, as well as relationships with each other. As a social construct, gender varies from society to society and can change over time.” [5]

This is nothing other than an attempt to normalize gender disorders, building the entire edifice of gender ideology upon the psychological illnesses of the gender-confused. Rather than acknowledging the need for treatment, the medical profession has turned truth upon its head, and conditions which should be recognized as abnormal and requiring treatment have been instead ordained as healthy and normal. It is fascinating to see that those who have succumbed to gender ideology have adopted the mantra of “pride” – thereby accusing themselves of slavery to sin and prophesying their own destruction. Catholic teaching describes pride as one of the capital sins, addressed in the Catechism [6] referencing St. Gregory the Great, [7] who himself refers to Holy Scripture:

“The beginning of the pride of man, is to fall off from God: Because his heart is departed from him that made him: for pride is the beginning of all sin: he that holdeth it, shall be filled with maledictions, and it shall ruin him in the end.”

Ecclesiasticus 10:14, 15, Douay-Rheims Bible

“It shall ruin him in the end.” The immediate result of the “reclassification” of gender disorders is the denial of corrective psychiatric treatment to suffering individuals. The damage resulting from the loss of psychiatric treatment is then magnified, since a justification has now been created for mutilating the gender-disordered in an attempt to approximate their bodies to their “perceived” gender. Sarah Cain exposes the inherent immorality of the euphemistically termed “gender-affirming care”:

“. . . these are not medical procedures because they are not healing. They do not have the potential or even goal of healing, only of placating an ill mind. Mutilation harms the individual in distress, denigrates the medical profession, and sickens society.” [8]

Such presumptuous yet pathetic attempts to violate the creative plan established by God constitute open rebellion against Him – a fact noted in 2014 by Pope Benedict. [9] Not surprisingly, the human misery caused by the rebellion implicit in “gender-affirming” care is horrifying. I challenge you to review the graphic descriptions documented by TT Exulansic of the physical mutilation involved [10] – and then imagine the mental distress patients experience when they finally and fully realize that what they have done to themselves cannot be undone.

But the damage done to the afflicted individuals is not the only impact. The failure to recognize the objective truth of the matter propagates throughout society. A whole vocabulary has grown up around the seemingly endless varieties of gender disorders which are now being trumpeted as alternative forms of health. We have worked ourselves into a situation in which everyone must feign blindness to the elephant in the room, and cooperate in attacking those who have the temerity to point out the nakedness of the faux-gender emperor. The original message of “live and let live” has morphed into a more aggressive and demanding form, progressing even to the initiation of legislation to criminalize speech which doesn’t go along with this hoax. [11] A recent survey demonstrated the tyrannical bent of the cultural degradation among millenials resulting from faux-genderism:

“The survey by Redfield & Wilton Strategies found that 44 percent of respondents between 25 and 34 say what’s known as misgendering should be a crime. Only 31 percent were firm that such conduct should not be a crime . . .” [12]

The faux-gender movement has had a signficant impact on society. Christians need to get beyond their typical reactive posture and instead get ahead of the problem, and try to understand where this mushrooming disaster is heading. The progressive contagion will continue to propagate if we do not fight it, since the devil is never satisfied with the extent of his grip on souls. The stakes are very high. It would be bad enough if this evil were to be confined only to adults. However, what I find to be particularly disturbing is the focus by the faux-gender leviathan on children.

I think it is now possible to understand the direction in which this evil is going. It is a pattern we have seen before, when the broad acceptance of homosexuality led to “homosexual marriage” and then adoption of children by homosexual couples. I grieve for the children who are saddled with a pseudo-mother or father, and who will never know the love of a real mother or father, a love they deserve to experience, and a love God intended for them to have, because we have brashly decided homosexual couples are fit to raise children. And now, with the cultural appeasement of gender ideologues, we are told we must accept the ludicrous spectacle of disturbed men dressed as provocative women reading stories to children – as if that is nothing out of the ordinary. The whole business is clearly an effort to influence children to believe faux-gendered people are perfectly normal and safe. Beyond the dismaying spectacle of “story hours,” the country’s education establishment has been stealthily working to steer children toward “gender transition” while avoiding parental notification. [13] The progressive elites have lost all sense of judgment and propriety and respect for the innocence of children. Witness, for example, the perverse videos on the website “Queer Kid Stuff – LGBTQ+ And Social Justice Videos for All Ages”, [14] among which is a video of the reading of a children’s book explaining abortion. [15] What possible justification could there be for teaching children about the murder of other children in the wombs of their mothers? Unfortunately, all of the indoctrination is having an impact – and the rapid acceleration of youth professing to be enslaved by gender confusion should be causing alarms to sound across the country. [16]

But even the massive psychological devastation among youth caused by the pestilence of gender ideology is not enough for the gender progressives. As with the destruction of children in the womb via abortion – as with the surrender of children to homosexual couples – as with the sudden focus on “gender affirmation” surgery and chemical intrusion on even young children [17, 18] – it is clear the devil is intent on further pursuing the attack on children to another level. We now see the faux-gender movement heading straight toward pedophilia. Any sane parent has got to be terrified by the sick chants heard along the route of the June “Pride” parade in New York City:

“We’re here, we’re queer, we’re coming for your children.” [19]

This movement is not just a product of the activists. We now see the legal framework for the protection of children being undermined by the “eminent” members of the International Commission of Jurists, who produced a document last March in cooperation with United Nations agencies which advocated that sex between adults and children who consent should be decriminalized:

“Moreover, sexual conduct involving persons below the domestically prescribed minimum age of consent to sex may be consensual, in fact, if not in law. In this context, the enforcement of criminal law should reflect the rights and capacities of persons under 18 years of age to make decisions about engaging in consensual sexual conduct and their right to be heard in matters concerning them.” [20]

Thinking like this should not be thought to be remote and irrelevant to us here in the U. S. As reported in detail by John Daniel Davidson of the Federalist, Minnesota Democrat legislators of the same ilk in May fought but failed to prevent language in the Minnesota Human Rights Act specifying that pedophilia is not a sexual orientation:

“By removing that language, the bill would have opened the door to widening the definition of sexual orientation to include pedophilia as a protected class alongside other minorities.” [21]

The important thing to recognize here is that the progressive elites of society – the corporate, media, legal, academic, and medical professions, and every component of government – are leading the faux-gender attacks on children. Therefore, we must understand we can no longer look to secular institutions to protect Christian norms. We must instead look to the Church.

The Church to date has done a decent job of setting forth the Christian principles governing our understanding of gender. For example, the Catechism is quite clear:

“Everyone, man and woman, should acknowledge and accept his sexual identity. Physical, moral, and spiritual difference and complementarity are oriented toward the goods of marriage and the flourishing of family life. The harmony of the couple and of society depends in part on the way in which the complementarity, needs, and mutual support between the sexes are lived out.” [22]

There are other good examples of Catholic teaching on this matter. In 2017, the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops (USCCB) along with other Christian leaders published a statement upholding the Christian understanding of sexuality and male and female genders. [23] This year the USCCB provided doctrinal guidance asserting the immorality of surgical or other physical intervention for the purpose of addressing gender dysphoria or gender disorders, and also voted in June to revise the Religious and Ethical Directives for Catholic Health Care to prohibit so-called “gender-affirming” care involving surgical or other manipulation to artificially attempt alteration of a patient’s gender. [24, 25] Individual bishops have also weighed in, as did Arlington Bishop Michael Burbidge with his 2021 catechesis on gender ideology. This document is an excellent statement of the basic principles in this area, teaching the truths inherent in God’s creation of man and woman, while expressing appropriate solicitude for the afflicted. It also recognizes much of the social harm being done by the faux-gender movement. However, the document is, consistent with its title, only a catechesis, a statement teaching Catholics the articles of their faith in this matter. [26]

But simply teaching Catholics what they should already know or directing Catholic institutions to act within the teaching of the Church is not sufficient. Especially when we see the infiltration of movements to endorse and support gender ideology at even the very highest levels of the Church. For example, several American bishops have succumbed to the deception at the root of the faux-gender crisis, by implicitly accepting the distorted language of the “LGBT” movement. The following statements originate from a group of radical U. S. bishops who have chosen to focus exclusively on the maltreatment experienced by the gender-disordered:

“ . . . the Catechism of the Catholic Church teaches that LGBT people are to be treated with ‘respect, compassion and sensitivity . . . All people of goodwill should help, support, and defend LGBT youth. . . .” [27]

Although these declarations sound compassionate and reflective of Christ’s love, they suffer from the deceit inherent in the references to “LGBT people” and “LGBT youth,” which legitimize the fiction that faux-genderism is normal. There is not a single reference in this statement to assisting these disturbed people to receive psychiatric treatment to heal their mental disorders.

Even worse are the troubling statements from Cardinal McElroy attempting to leverage the Synod on Synodality, thus potentially affecting the entire Church, in the effort to endorse gender ideology:

“Cardinal McElroy argues that the synodal process on synodality for a synodal Church is an opportune time to revisit — and revise — some doctrines of the Church. Among those are the question of priestly ordination for women, but his main focus was on “radical inclusion of L.G.B.T. people.”” [28]

Faithful bishops should be emphatically and persistently speaking to the world, not just Catholics. A case in point is the November 2022 address of Oklahoma Archbishop Paul Coakley to the Napa Institute, a Catholic organization dedicated to transforming the culture, wherein he attributed the roots of the faux-gender crisis to the devil:

“If the devil can confuse society about sex and gender, he obscures our understanding of God’s plan for humanity at its very roots.’” [29

The effectiveness of the Archbishop’s speech can be measured by the aggrieved response from those who endorse the faux-gender evil, such as the zealots at New Ways Ministry. [30] Archbishop Cordileone of San Francisco has also not been afraid to proclaim the demonic nature of the transgender ideology. [31] The leadership provided by orthodox Catholic shepherds like these on this issue is critically important. William Kilpatrick put it this way recently:

“The U.S. bishops have a lot on their hands. But there are some topics they can’t afford to ignore. While the bishops are rightly concerned by the large number of children who are being kidnapped by sex traffickers on our southern border, they also need to start worrying about the even larger number of children who are being trafficked into a perverted ideology by some well-meaning but naive people—and also by a substantial number who are neither well-meaning nor naive.” [32]

In the face of overwhelming pressure from the progressive elites, now including even treacherous elements from within the Church itself, it is time for the faithful shepherds of the Church to lead the fight against this evil. And the key word is “fight.” The time for mild, cautiously tempered arguments designed to avoid offense is over. It is time to proclaim the truth fearlessly. Like the apostles, martyrs, and saints of centuries past.

References.

1. Bellarmine, Robert. “A Commentary on the Book of Psalms.” Psalm 99. eCatholic2000. 2016. https://ecatholic2000.com/bell/psalms.shtml#_Toc417747233

2. Wright, Colin. “Are There More Than Two Sexes?” City Journal. March 2, 2023. https://www.city-journal.org/article/are-there-more-than-two-sexes

3. United States Catholic Conference, Inc. Libreria Editrice Vaticana. Catechism of the Catholic Church, San Francisco: Ignatius Press, 1994, paragraph 2538. https://www.usccb.org/sites/default/files/flipbooks/catechism/568/#zoom=z

4. “Gender Dysphoria.” Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM-V). American Psychiatric Association. 2013. https://www.psychiatry.org/File%20Library/Psychiatrists/Practice/DSM/APA_DSM-5-Gender-Dysphoria.pdf

5. “Gender and health.” World Health Organization/Health Topics. Accessed July 24, 2023. https://www.who.int/health-topics/gender#tab=tab_1

6. United States Catholic Conference, Inc. Libreria Editrice Vaticana. Catechism of the Catholic Church, San Francisco: Ignatius Press, 1994, paragraph 1866. https://www.usccb.org/sites/default/files/flipbooks/catechism/459/#zoom=z

7. THE BOOKS OF THE MORALS OF ST. GREGORY THE POPE, OR AN EXPOSITION ON THE BOOK OF BLESSED JOB. VOLUME III – THE SIXTH PART. BOOK XXXI, 87. http://www.lectionarycentral.com/GregoryMoralia/Book31.html

8. Sarah Cain. “The Moral Cowardice of Ignoring Trans Adults.” Crisis Magazine. July 24, 2023. https://crisismagazine.com/opinion/the-moral-cowardice-of-ignoring-trans-adults

9. Maike, Hickson. “Moral theologian: Benedict XVI called gender ideology ‘the ultimate rebellion against God.’” LifeSiteNews. May 16, 2023. https://www.lifesitenews.com/blogs/moral-theologian-benedict-xvi-called-gender-ideology-the-ultimate-rebellion-against-god/

10. TT Exulansic. “Genital Mutilation for the Masses.” The American Mind. June 14, 2023. https://americanmind.org/salvo/genital-mutilation-for-the-masses

11. Linebarger, Cullen. “THOUGHTCRIME: Michigan May Imprison Residents for Years for “Misgendering” or “Threatening” LGBTQ Individuals Under New “Hate Speech” Bill.” Gateway Pundit. June 30, 2023.
https://www.thegatewaypundit.com/2023/06/thoughtcrime-michigan-may-imprison-residents-years-misgendering-threatening/

12. Davis, Jack. “Using Wrong Pronouns Should Be ‘Criminal Offense,’ Say Almost Half of Millennials: Survey.” The Western Journal. July 16, 2023. https://www.westernjournal.com/using-wrong-pronouns-criminal-offense-say-almost-half-millennials-survey/

13. Berg, Luke. “How Schools’ Transgender Policies Are Eroding Parents’ Rights.” American Enterprise Institute/Conservative Education Reforn Network. March 2022. https://www.aei.org/wp-content/uploads/2022/03/How-Schools%E2%80%99-Transgender-Policies-Are-Eroding-Parents%E2%80%99-Rights.pdf?x91208

14. Queer Kid Stuff – LGBTQ+ And Social Justice Videos for All Ages. Accessed 24 July 2023. https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCecsVoeJcsXbAra7Sl4mOPw

15. Mondoro, Jean. “Resurfaced video shows gender-confused YouTuber reading children’s book about abortion.” LifeSite News. July 17, 2023. https://www.lifesitenews.com/news/resurfaced-video-shows-gender-confused-youtuber-reading-childrens-book-about-abortion/

16. Respaut, Robin and Terhune, Chad. “Putting numbers on the rise in children seeking gender care.” Reuters Investigates/Youth in Transition. October 6, 2022. https://www.reuters.com/investigates/special-report/usa-transyouth-data/

17. “The dark side of transgenderism: Moral monsters are mutilating children without parental involvement.” Washington Examiner. July 31, 2021. https://www.washingtonexaminer.com/opinion/editorials/dark-side-of-transgenderism-monsters-mutilating-children

18. Kao, Emilie. “We’ll Tell You What ‘60 Minutes+’ Won’t About How Transgender Movement Endangers Kids.” The Heritage Foundation. June 30, 2021. https://www.heritage.org/gender/commentary/well-tell-you-what-60-minutes-wont-about-how-transgender-movement-endangers-kids

19. Orsi, Michael. “‘Pride’ marchers chanting ‘we’re coming for your children’ shows what the LGBT agenda is about.” LifeSite News. July 4, 2023. https://www.lifesitenews.com/opinion/pride-marchers-chanting-were-coming-for-your-children-shows-what-the-lgbt-agenda-is-about/

20. “The 8 March Principles for a Human Rights-Based Approach to Criminal Law Proscribing Conduct Associated with Sex, Reproduction, Drug Use, HIV, Homelessness and Poverty Rights-Based Approach to Criminal Law.” The International Commission of Jurists. March 2023. https://share-netinternational.org/wp-content/uploads/2023/03/8-MARCH-Principles-FINAL-printer-version-1-MARCH-2023.pdf

21. Davidson, John Daniel. “Yes, The Trans Movement Is Coming For Your Kids.” The Federalist. May 3, 2023. https://thefederalist.com/2023/05/03/yes-the-trans-movement-is-coming-for-your-kids/

22. United States Catholic Conference, Inc. Libreria Editrice Vaticana. Catechism of the Catholic Church, San Francisco: Ignatius Press, 1994, paragraph 2333. https://www.usccb.org/sites/default/files/flipbooks/catechism/562/#zoom=z

23. “Created Male and Female: An Open Letter from Religious Leaders.” U. S. Conference of Catholic Bishops/Promotion and Defense of Marriage. December 15, 2017. https://www.usccb.org/topics/promotion-defense-marriage/created-male-and-female

24. “Doctrinal Note on the Moral Limits to Technological Manipulation of the Human Body.” U. S. Conference of Catholic Bishops. March 20 2023. https://www.usccb.org/resources/doctrinal-note-moral-limits-technological-manipulation-human-body

25. Brown, Lauretta. “US Bishops Approve Plan for Guidance to Health-Care Institutions on Transgender Issues.” National Catholic Register/Nation. June 16, 2023. https://www.ncregister.com/cna/us-bishops-approve-plan-for-guidance-to-health-care-institutions-on-transgender-issues

26. Burbidge, Michael. “A Catechesis on the Human Person and Gender Ideology.” Catholic Diocese of Arlington. August 12, 2021. https://www.arlingtondiocese.org/communications/bishop/public-messages/catechesis-on-gender-ideology-english-20dec.pdf

27. “God is on your side: A statement from Catholic Bishops on protecting LGBT Youth.” Tyler Clementi Foundation. Accessed July 24, 2023. https://tylerclementi.org/catholicbishopsstatement/

28. de Souza, Raymond. “Cardinal McElroy’s Attack on Church Teachings on Sexuality Is a Pastoral Disaster.” National Catholic Register. January 26, 2023. https://www.ncregister.com/commentaries/cardinal-mcelroy-s-attack-on-church-teachings-on-sexuality-is-a-pastoral-disaster

29. “Msgr Herron Dinner – Archbishop Coakley.” Facebook/Napa Institute. November 30, 2022. https://www.facebook.com/napainstitute/videos/462400956047305/

30. Shine, Robert. “USCCB Secretary Claims Transgender Equality Is “Doing Great Damage to Society.” New Ways Ministry. December 14, 2022. https://www.newwaysministry.org/2022/12/14/usccb-secretary-claims-transgender-equality-is-doing-great-damage-to-society/

31. Lamb, Matt. “Abp. Cordileone condemns abortion as ‘satanic worship,’ LGBT ideology as ‘demonic.’” LifeSite News. April 11, 2023. https://www.lifesitenews.com/news/abp-cordileone-condemns-abortion-as-satanic-worship-lgbt-ideology-as-demonic/

32. Kilpatrick, William. “The Trans Controversy: American Bishops Face a Divided Nation and a Divided Church.” Crisis Magazine. July 18, 2023. https://crisismagazine.com/opinion/the-trans-controversy-american-bishops-face-a-divided-nation-and-a-divided-church

As any real conservative knows, the progressive agenda is inimical to foundational elements of society, such as the family. The ongoing destruction of the nuclear family, a critical component of the progressive agenda, is evil for many reasons. But in recent years I have become more aware of one aspect of that destruction, which has to do with its impact on God’s natural blueprint for our lives as expressed in family life, and particularly as expressed in the daily work of a mother and a father.

In our family, Dad is still with us, but Mom died about 4 years ago. She made it to 88, and was bright and alert until she had a serious accident from which she never recovered. After the accident, she was no longer able to communicate effectively, so it was one of those situations where there were so many things that you wish you could have said to her, but it was suddenly too late.

I have discovered since then that Mom meant more to me than I thought she did. It isn’t just that I miss the opportunity to talk to her, ask her opinion on things, or just to give her a hug. I think now that in addition to everything else, Mom meant to me that core sense of belonging that you feel as a child being raised in a family. It is a sense of home, a place of safety and warmth and unconditional love that can be reliably depended upon. And that experience of home is a very important thing. It provides a solid psychological foundation, a safe harbor. By just simply being herself, and doing what comes naturally, Mom cooperated in the design created by God for the nurturing, development, and flourishing of a new generation. And that sense of home that she built along with Dad remains with us, even when we leave home and strike out on our own, and begin our own families, and create that sense of belonging for another generation.

But now Mom is gone, from this life at least, and so is that sense of having a home. She, and the home I once knew, cannot be reached. And so I am all too aware that I am now missing something important in my life. Even though Dad is still here, and I have my own immediate family, and wife and children and now even grandchildren, they cannot replace what has been lost.

What must it be like for those children who have not experienced that solid sense of home? It must be terribly difficult, not having that foundation and that comfort, and having to experience life while lacking the natural love of a mother and a father that God intended for them. While I have only recently experienced that sense of loss, they must face their entire lives knowing something vitally important is missing. Such a fundamental deficiency effected on such a large scale as we have experienced here in the U. S. has to inflict damage, and it is not surprising that as the progressive agenda advances, we see increasing societal disarray.

However, there is some solace that can be gained by understanding that none of us while here on earth have ever been fully at home. The psalms, those ancient words that still today anchor the prayer of the Church, speak to a reality that faces all of us:

“Hear my prayer, O Lord, and my supplication: give ear to my tears. Be not silent: for I am a stranger with thee, and a sojourner as all my fathers were.”

Psalms 38:13, Douay-Rheims Bible

We are actually, all of us, nomads in this life, having experienced perhaps a little of what it is like to be truly home, but always bearing an innate desire for that real home that can only be experienced with God Himself. The Apostle Paul felt this yearning, as described by Pope St Gregory the Great:

“For we already long to come into the presence of God, but we are still hindered by the clog of a mortal body. So that we are justly called ‘prisoners,’ in that we have not as yet the advance of our desire to God free before us. Hence Paul, whose heart was set upon the things of eternity, yet who still carried about him the load of his corruption, being in bonds exclaims, Having a desire to be unloosed and to be with Christ. [Phil. 1, 23] For he would not desire to be ‘unloosed,’ unless, assuredly, he saw himself to be in bonds.” [1]

Perhaps that sense of belonging and home that I first knew as a child was simply a reflection, an echo, of the longing for our real home that God has sowed within us. So that sense of loss that I don’t seem to be able to dismiss is supposed to be there. We are made in the image and likeness of God, the scriptures say [Genesis 1:26-27], and therefore we who have been created by Him will only really be at home when we are with Him.

Reference.

1. THE BOOKS OF THE MORALS OF ST. GREGORY THE POPE, OR AN EXPOSITION ON THE BOOK OF BLESSED JOB. VOLUME I – THE FIRST PART. BOOK IV, 68. http://www.lectionarycentral.com/GregoryMoralia/Book04.html

One artifact of the ongoing Corona virus vaccine controversy has been the distress exhibited in various quarters patronizingly worrying about those of us who are thought to be afflicted with the dreaded “Vaccine Hesitancy.” That disparaging characterization implies that anyone who is concerned about allowing themselves to be infected with one of the SARS-CoV-2 so-called vaccines has somehow fallen victim to misinformation, or is unable to make a mature decision because, after all, the conventional wisdom tells us that the vaccines are perfectly safe.

The following comment from an article in Townhall.com is a typical example of the disdainful attitude exhibited by those who have managed to rise above such simple-mindedness:

“I talked to Adam Bruggeman, M.D., a San Antonio physician, and he told me vaccine hesitancy is not the same problem as the logistics of making vaccines available to everyone. He believes vaccine hesitancy is mostly due to poor leadership, inconsistent messaging and hyper-partisanship. To educate those exposed to misinformation about the vaccine he set up a website, GetMyCovidVaccine.org to hopefully set the record straight.” [1]

So, whatever the reason, according to the good Doctor Bruggeman, the resistance to SARS-COV-2 inoculation is certainly not based on anything like knowledge, logic, prudence, or any sort of rational thinking. We, the unwashed, should stop trying to think for ourselves, and let our intellectual betters tell us what to do.

But just in case there are some citizens out there who still have an open mind, and who also brazenly dare to question the government and medical establishment, here are some simple facts that even a politician or a government bureaucrat, burdened as they are with preconceived “knowledge” which prevents them from seeing the truth, can understand.

1. None of the SARS-CoV-2 experimental vaccines have been fully tested.

The so-called vaccines are actually nothing more than experimental biological agents. They have not been determined to be safe according to the standards required for the completion of the normal vaccine approval process:

“A typical vaccine development timeline takes 5 to 10 years, and sometimes longer, to assess whether the vaccine is safe and efficacious in clinical trials, complete the regulatory approval processes, and manufacture sufficient quantity of vaccine doses for widespread distribution.” [2]

There simply has not been enough time elapsed to conduct any sort of long term evaluation of the effects of the vaccines. They have only been approved via “Emergency Use Authorizations” (EUA), which the FDA uses to authorize medical countermeasures based on a preliminary risk-benefit analysis. [3] The initial EUA Review Memorandum for the Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine cited a safety follow-up time period of “a median of two months.” [4] That safety follow-up period has not increased with even recent EUA re-issuances. [5] The Fact Sheet for the June 25, 2021 re-issuance of the Pfizer-BioNtech EUA is remarkable for how weak it is with regard to safety. [6] It includes no definitive safety declaration – it merely calls the probability of allergic reactions and side effects“remote,” and it warns about a “very low” risk of myocarditis and pericarditis. It does not provide any perspective as to how the clinical trials it references would compare to those normally required for vaccines. To date, this sort of inadequate safety information has been the only information available to assist Americans who have made the decision to receive the COVID-19 inoculation.

2. The corona virus experimental vaccines employ new technologies and therefore represent unknown risks.

Vaccines utilizing mRNA technologies and the Corona virus spike protein never achieved approval for general use prior to this pandemic. [7,8] Further, the interactions of the spike protein within the human body have not been thoroughly studied and completely understood, and there is now evidence that this protein may be harmful. [9] The inventor of the mRNA vaccines himself has warned of the dangers of the spike protein, [10,11] Dr. J. Patrick Whelan, UCLA Pediatric Immunology, cited multiple studies in December 2020 to warn the FDA that the spike protein produced as a result of the inoculations is dangerous:

“.. . it appears that the viral spike protein that is the target of the major SARS-CoV-2 vaccines is also one of the key agents causing the damage to distant organs that may include the brain, heart, lung, and kidney.” [12]

These vaccines constitute a magnified risk: it is not as if the timeline of a typical vaccine has been accelerated. Risk has been piled upon risk, with an accelerated timeline amplifying the risk of an experimental vaccine technology incorporating new delivery methods and a new type of antigen.

Messenger RNA vaccine promoters like to say that these new vaccines are really not all that new or dangerous. [13, 14, 15] However, responses such as these do not mention that prior attempts to produce Corona virus vaccines have failed, particularly due to the phenomenon of Antibody-Dependent Enhancement (ADE), a delayed reaction which may well not appear in accelerated trials:

“Given past data on multiple SARS-CoV-1 and MERS-CoV vaccine efforts have failed due to ADE in animal models . . . it is reasonable to hypothesize a similar ADE risk for SARS-CoV-2 antibodies and vaccines. ADE risks may be associated with antibody level (which can wane over time after vaccination) and also if the antibodies are derived from prior exposures to other coronaviruses.” [16]

Evidence of harmful effects from the vaccines is beginning to emerge: myocarditis and pericarditis, [17,18] amplified death rates from the Delta COVID-19 variant for the vaccinated, [19] vision disorders including blindness, nervous system disorders, blood disorders, and gastrointestinal disorders. [20] Initial indications are that adverse occurrences resulting from these vaccines are far greater in scale than has been previously experienced. [21] The CDC reported that as of June 30^th, 5,718 deaths have been reported in the Vaccine Adverse Events Reporting system following COVID-19 inoculation. [22] While the CDC will not admit that all of these deaths are caused by the vaccines, when viewed in context this number of deaths is beyond anything ever experienced with prior vaccines. When compared to adverse events following vaccinations for other diseases,

“The number of deaths recorded following the experimental COVID injections now equals the total number of recorded deaths following vaccines for the past 20 years. [23]

3. This pandemic does not constitute an emergency for the majority of the population.

For roughly two thirds of the population (ages 0–49), [24] the risk of fatality from COVID-19 is no greater than that of the seasonal flu, which for the 2018-2019 flu season was about 0.1 percent. [25] Data from the CDC Covidtracker site as of June 28th, 2021 indicates that for this age group, the Case Fatality Ratio is 0.13 percent. [26] The Infection Fatality Ratio (IFR) is even less, since the Case number does not include infections without symptoms that are not recorded. So for this sector of the population, the risk of fatality from COVID-19 is about the same as that of the annual flu season. Yet mass vaccinations incorporating experimental technologies on an emergency basis are not considered necessary for the flu. But in this pandemic the government is aggressively insisting that everyone over 12, a majority of whom have very low vulnerability to the disease, be injected with an experimental vaccine involving a new anti-viral method with unknown long term risks. There is a clear disconnect between the relatively low severity of the disease for most of the population and the drastic measures undertaken to overcome it.

4. The Infection Fatality Ratio (IFR) data for this pandemic has been deliberately overstated.

Back near the beginning of the pandemic, the CDC suddenly changed the rules for how fatalities should be listed if a patient had COVID-19. [27] The new rules required “listing COVID-19 in Part I of the death certificate as a ‘cause of death’ even if COVID-19 was only suspected as being a contributing factor.” [28] This is a major change: a contributing factor is not necessarily a cause of death. That judgment should be made by the responsible health professionals involved, and should not be automatically determined for all cases. “The end result of this change was to shift what is very likely a large number of fatalities into the COVID-19 tally that would not have been in the tally under the previous standards.” [28] This means that the foundational data upon which pandemic decision-making and reporting is based is severely flawed, and calls into question both the rationale and the urgency for SARS-CoV-2 mass inoculations.

5. The use of readily available drugs with anti-viral properties was not seriously considered in the U. S as a viable approach for fighting the pandemic.

There is now substantial evidence that drugs like Hydroxychloroquine (HCQ) and Ivermectin, especially in concert with certain other agents, can be used to effectively treat or prevent COVID-19. As of June 25^th, 2021, a database of 311 HCQ COVID-19 studies, “229 peer reviewed, 259 comparing treatment and control groups” showed “HCQ is not effective when used very late with high dosages over a long period,” but that “effectiveness improves with earlier usage and improved dosing”, and “Early treatment consistently shows positive effects.” [29] A review published on June 17, 2021 in the American Journal of Therapeutics, presented similar conclusions about Ivermectin. [30]

An article published in the January 2021 edition of the American Journal of Medicine by Dr. Peter McCullough and a large group of associated physicians described how HCQ can be implemented as one element of a comprehensive treatment algorithm. [31] A similar thought process is reflected in the MATH+ and I-MASK+ protocols using Ivermectin developed by the doctors of the Front Line COVID-19 Critical Care Alliance. [32,33] The MATH+ protocol includes Ivermectin as a key component which works in concert with several other powerful medications to treat patients hospitalized with COVID-19, and the I-MASK+ protocol, also employing Ivermectin as part of a detailed program, is targeted toward early treatment and prevention of COVID-19.

These methodologies based on HCQ and Ivermectin demonstrate simple common sense. It is eminently reasonable for physicians to treat patients with the readily available tools and do the obvious things, such as inhibiting the activity of the virus, stabilizing the immune system, and relieving dangerous symptoms such as blood clotting and inflammatory response, using drugs with known capabilities and safety profiles. These comprehensive approaches offered in the face of an aggressive and extremely contagious disease present a stark contrast to the myopically rigid focus on experimental vaccines exercised by the government and medical establishment.

It is puzzling that the United States, the most advanced country in the world, with all of its massive technological advantages, leads the world in COVID-19 fatalities, even when compared with countries with much larger populations. [34] Is this disparity due to the inflated COVID-19 fatality reporting in the U. S.? Or could it be that other countries successfully fought the disease with repurposed drugs like HCQ and Ivermectin? Consider this:

“Countries where HCQ is widely available, which are typically third world countries that have malaria or citizens who travel to malaria-endemic regions, have 1-10% of the death rates first world nations where HCQ is severely restricted.” [8]

Conclusion

The trauma of the last year and a half bears the unmistakable stench of progressivism, wherein the populace is browbeaten into submission by the groupthink and scorn of those who obfuscate and manipulate the truth while claiming they have superior knowledge. Vaccine hesitancy is not the problem. Vaccine gullibility is the problem. The American people have been entirely too submissive and unquestioning in their sheeplike response to the government and medical establishment.

That docility is a far greater concern than the pandemic.

But assuming Americans are somehow able to recover at least some of their backbone, then it is essential that the response to the SARS-CoV-2 attack be objectively assessed, and that assessment should recognize that the response was miserably inadequate. The government’s single-minded focus on vaccines worked to prevent successful implementation of therapies using drugs which were readily available at the beginning of the pandemic. A stronger and more vigorous strategy for responding to biological attacks must be developed. Reliance on the hidebound, slow, and bureaucratic processes of the FDA for approval of every use of every drug is not a sufficiently responsive method for developing counters to biological attacks. Let’s face it – we dodged a bullet this time. The virus was not extremely dangerous to the vast majority of the population. What happens when the Peoples Republic of China manages to engineer and deploy a truly dangerous virus which is also extremely contagious? Feeble responses like emergency vaccines with unknown safety characteristics will not do the job. The country must figure out how to harness the tremendous expertise of the entire U. S. medical community – especially front line physicians, and not just drug companies and government bureaucrats – to bring effective therapies to bear rapidly in the event of future attacks.

References.

1. Herrick, Devon. “What’s Behind the Vaccine Slowdown?” Townhall.com. June 1, 2021. https://townhall.com/columnists/devonherrick/2021/05/31/whats-behind-the-vaccine-slowdown-n2590174

2. HOW CAN COVID-19 VACCINE DEVELOPMENT BE DONE QUICKLY AND SAFELY? Johns Hopkins Coronavirus Resource Center: Vaccine Research & Development. Accessed June, 2021. https://coronavirus.jhu.edu/vaccines/timeline

3. “Emergency Use Authorization for Vaccines Explained” U. S. Food and Drug Administration: Vaccines. Updated November 20, 2020. https://www.fda.gov/vaccines-blood-biologics/vaccines/emergency-use-authorization-vaccines-explained

4. “Emergency Use Authorization for Pfizer-BionTech COVID-19 Vaccine Review Memo.” fda.gov. https://www.fda.gov/media/144416/download

5. “Pfizer-BioNTech COVID-19 Vaccine EUA Letter of Authority June 25 2021.” fda.gov. https://www.fda.gov/media/150386/download

6. “FACT SHEET FOR RECIPIENTS AND CAREGIVERS EMERGENCY USE AUTHORIZATION (EUA) OF THE PFIZER-BIONTECH COVID-19 VACCINE TO PREVENT CORONAVIRUS DISEASE 2019 (COVID-19) IN INDIVIDUALS 12 YEARS OF AGE AND OLDER.” U. S. Food and Drug Administration: Press Announcements. June 25, 2021. https://www.fda.gov/media/144414/download

7. Siler, Thomas. “A Doctor’s View About the New mRNA Vaccines.” American Thinker. February 15, 2021. https://www.americanthinker.com/articles/2021/02/a_doctors_view_about_the_new_mrna_vaccines.html

8. Gold, Simone, et. al. “America’s Frontline Doctors White Paper On Experimental Vaccines For COVID-19.” America’s Frontline Doctors. Accessed June, 2021. https://americasfrontlinedoctors.org/wp-content/uploads/2021/06/6076e4fd8bde421370729e47_Vaccine-PP.pdf

9. Bridle, Byram. “A Parental Guide to COVID-19 Vaccination: English Summary.” Canadian Covid Care Alliance. June, 2021. https://www.canadiancovidcarealliance.org/wp-content/uploads/2021/06/Guide_to_COVID19_vaccines_for_parents_v5.pdf

10. Redshaw, Megan. “Inventor of mRNA Technology_ Vaccine Causes Lipid Nanoparticles to Accumulate in ‘High Concentrations’ in Ovaries.” The Defender: Children’s Health Defense News and Views. June 17, 2021. https://childrenshealthdefense.org/defender/mrna-technology-covid-vaccine-lipid-nanoparticles-accumulate-ovaries/

11. Publius. “Inventor of mrna Tech Says FDA Was Aware of Spike Protein Dangers Before Granting ‘Emergency Use,’ Possible Shot-Related Deaths Skyrocket.” Coronavirus News. June 17, 2021. https://coronanews123.wordpress.com/2021/06/17/inventor-of-covid-mrna-vaccine-platform-says-new-data-shows-danger-blames-lack-of-long-term-animal-trials-full-transcript/

12. Shula. “Covid-19 vaccine & Microvascular Injury.” Talking About The Science:Bringing you the research on the relationship of diet (and toxins) to behavior and health. March 11, 2021. https://www.talkingaboutthescience.com/whelan2020/

13. “Are the mRNA vaccines from Pfizer/BioNTech and Moderna safe?” GetMyCovidVaccine.org. February 6, 2021. https://getmycovidvaccine.org/are-the-mrna-vaccines-from-pfizer-biontech-and-moderna-safe/

14. Seddighzadeh, Bobak. “How Safe Are the mRNA COVID-19 Vaccines? We asked the Experts.” Men’s Health. December 9, 2020. https://www.menshealth.com/health/a34909218/mrna-covid-vaccine-safety/

15. Fiore, Kristina. “Want to Know More About mRNA Before Your COVID Jab? MedPage Today. December 3, 2020. https://www.medpagetoday.com/infectiousdisease/covid19/89998

16. Ricke, Darrell O. “Two Different Antibody-Dependent Enhancement (ADE) Risks for SARS-CoV-2 Antibodies.” Frontiers in Immunology. February 24, 2021. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC7943455/

17. Redshaw, Megan. “CDC finds ‘likely’ link between heart inflammation and Pfizer, Moderna COVID vaccines.” Lifesite News. June 24, 2021. https://www.lifesitenews.com/news/cdc-finds-likely-link-between-heart-inflammation-and-pfizer-moderna-covid-vaccines

18. Redshaw, Megan. “Pfizer vaccine ‘probably’ linked to heart inflammation, Israeli panel of experts concludes.” Lifesite News. June 7, 2021. https://www.lifesitenews.com/news/pfizer-vaccine-probably-linked-to-heart-inflammation-israeli-panel-of-experts-concludes

19. McGovern, Celeste. “Death rate from variant COVID virus six times higher for vaccinated than unvaccinated, UK health data show.” Lifesite News. June 18, 2021. https://www.lifesitenews.com/news/death-rate-from-variant-covid-virus-six-times-higher-for-vaccinated-than-unvaccinated-uk-health-data-show

20. Solway, David. “Coronavirus vaccines may be the worst mistake we’ve ever made.” Lifesite News. June 30, 2021. https://www.lifesitenews.com/opinion/covid-vaccines-may-be-the-worst-mistake-weve-ever-made

21. Chaves, Antonio R. “A massive surge in COVID vaccine deaths.” American Thinker. June 16, 2021. https://www.americanthinker.com/blog/2021/06/a_massive_surge_in_covid_vaccine_deaths.html

22. “Reported Adverse Events.” Centers for Disease Control and Prevention: COVID-19. Updated June 30, 2021. https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/vaccines/safety/adverse-events.html

23. Shilhavy, Brian. “CDC: 4,178 Americans DEAD Following Experimental COVID Injections – Deaths from COVID Shots now Equal 20 Years of Recorded Deaths Following Vaccines Since 2001.” Vaccine Impact. May 5, 2021. https://vaccineimpact.com/2021/cdc-4178-americans-dead-following-experimental-covid-injections-deaths-from-covid-shots-now-equal-21-years-of-recorded-deaths-following-vaccines-since-2001/

24. “Table 1: Population by Age and Sex:2019. United States Census: Age and Sex Composition in the United States: 2019. April, 2020. https://www.census.gov/data/tables/2019/demo/age-and-sex/2019-age-sex-composition.html

25. “Estimated Influenza Illnesses, Medical visits, Hospitalizations, and Deaths in the United States — 2018–2019 influenza season.” Centers for Disease Control and Prevention: Influenza. Last Reviewed: June 2, 2021. https://www.cdc.gov/flu/about/burden/2019-2020.html

26. “Demographic Trends of COVID-19 cases and deaths in the US reported to CDC.” Centers for Disease Control and Prevention: Covid Data Tracker. Accessed July 3, 2021. https://covid.cdc.gov/covid-data-tracker/#demographics

27. “Vital Statistics Reporting Guidance: Guidance for Certifying Deaths Due to Coronavirus Desease 2019 (COVID-19).” Centers for Disease Control and Prevention: National Center for Health Statistics: National Vital Statistics System. April, 2020. https://www.cdc.gov/nchs/data/nvss/vsrg/vsrg03-508.pdf

28. Hunt, Tam. “How many deaths counted as Covid-19 deaths are actually from the virus?” Tam Hunt. August 12, 2020. https://tamhunt.medium.com/data-quality-issues-and-the-coronavirus-pandemic-db0356373fc2

29. “HCQ for COVID-19.” @CovidAnalysis: Global HCQ/CQ Studies. Accessed July 5, 2021. https://c19hcq.com/

30. Bryant, A. and Lawrie, T. A. “Ivermectin for Prevention and Treatment of COVID-19 Infection: A Systematic Review, Meta-analysis, and Trial Sequential Analysis to Inform Clinical Guidelines.” American Journal of Therapeutics. June 17, 2020. https://covid19criticalcare.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/06/Ivermectin_for_Prevention_and_Treatment_of.98040.pdf

31. McCullough, Peter, et al. “Pathophysiological Basis and Rationale for Early Outpatient Treatment of SARS-CoV-2 (COVID-19) Infection.” American Journal of Medicine. January 1, 2021. https://www.amjmed.com/article/S0002-9343(20)30673-2/fulltext

32. “MATH+ Hospital Treatment Protocol for COVID-19.” Front Line COVID-19 Critical Care Alliance: Prevention and Treatment Protocols for COVID-19. Updated June 30, 2021. https://covid19criticalcare.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/01/FLCCC-Alliance-MATHplus-Protocol-ENGLISH.pdf

33. “IMASK+ PREVENTION & EARLY OUTPATIENT TREATMENT PROTOCOL FOR COVID-19. Front Line COVID-19 Critical Care Alliance: Prevention and Treatment Protocols for COVID-19. Updated June 30, 2020. https://covid19criticalcare.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/11/FLCCC-Alliance-I-MASKplus-Protocol-ENGLISH.pdf

34. “COVID-19 CORONA VIRUS PANDEMIC: Reported Cases and Deaths by Country or Territory.” Worldometer. Data accessed July 2, 2021. https://www.worldometers.info/coronavirus/

When a theory no longer fits the facts, then the reasonable thing to do is to reassess that theory, and adjust it or adopt a new one. For many months now, the theory for defeating the corona virus has incorporated these fundamentals: mask-wearing and social distancing, hand-washing, and lockdowns. [1] But after nearly a year of employing these methods to fight the virus, there has been no improvement in control of the virus: instead, the end of 2020 saw a resurgence of the virus to levels as severe as were seen in April 2020. [2] This, in spite of all the mask-wearing, social distancing, hand-washing, and lockdowns.

Is it not past time that we rethink these approaches to defeating the virus, and implement better ones?

Let’s take a look at the concepts underlying each of these anti-viral measures of the conventional wisdom.

Continue reading “Misguided Guidance: The Failure of the U. S. Response to the China Virus”

The President’s Corona virus infection has emphatically demonstrated that Americans need not fear this virus. Despite the risk, the President remained fully engaged with the business of government and his campaign. He did not go into hiding, and did not attempt to do everything possible to avoid catching the virus. He did not know any better than the rest of us how dangerous the virus would be if he caught it, and by forging ahead with his job as usual, he displayed decisive and courageous leadership, reflecting character traits which are in exceedingly short supply these days in America.

So here we are, not even two weeks after the President was diagnosed with Covid-19, and he has already been back at work since a few days after that diagnosis. For those who buy in to the hysteria of the mainstream media this must surely be incomprehensible. After all, we have been hearing the drumbeat for months on end that this is a dangerous disease, which we can only survive if we are extremely cautious. We have been told that we must all wear those nasty and useless masks, [1] keep our social distance, stay home from work, school, and church, and otherwise shut down our economy and our normal daily life for some indeterminate period. And many, perhaps a majority of us, continue to believe this, despite the CDC statistics which show a Covid-19 survival rate of 99 percent for anyone age seventy and under. [2]

How strikingly different the wisdom and strength and common sense demonstrated by President Trump from the timidity and weakness and exceedingly poor judgment shown by the Democrat left and the liberal elites, who are afraid to confront even the slightest of risks.

Continue reading “Presidential Covid-19: Metaphor for the Trump Presidency”

Did you feel it?

A few days ago the veil of satanic oppression smothering this country was lifted, just a bit. Suddenly, in the midst of all of the other turmoil engulfing the country just now, the opportunity has arisen for President Trump to select another Supreme Court justice. There now exists a real possibility that the United States will be blessed with a Court capable of overturning not only the hideous abortion decision Roe v. Wade, but also other decisions rendered by the Court which were based on a bankrupt and progressive view of the Court’s role. However, the fight to install that new justice promises to be ferocious.

I am reminded of the incident in Holy Scripture when Jesus was called upon to cast out a devil from a deaf mute afflicted with seizures from birth. The devil did not go easily – its rage was evident as it was extracted from that boy:

“And when Jesus saw that a crowd came running together, he rebuked the unclean spirit, saying to it, ‘You dumb and deaf spirit, I command you, come out of him and never enter him again.’ And after crying out and convulsing him terribly, it came out, and the boy was like a corpse; so that most of them said, ‘He is dead.’”

Mark 9:25-26 RSV Catholic Edition

And here we are, a country full of people stricken mute and deaf while unspeakable violence has been visited upon the most innocent and vulnerable among us – for decades. We are indeed afflicted by demons, of the worst sort. And Catholics and other Christians for many years have fought against this evil with activities and events such as the annual March for Life, 40 Days for Life, and praying outside of abortion mills. I will personally never forget the overwhelming sense of God’s grace I felt last January when I stood on the National Mall, and saw there in front of me, for the first time ever, the President of the United States exhorting the nation with a pro-life message.

But perhaps now, at this critical juncture, it is time to up the ante, and take to heart the words of Jesus at the end of this passage from Mark, when his disciples wanted to know why they could not cast out this demon:

“This kind cannot be driven out by anything but prayer and fasting.”

Mark 9:29 RSV Catholic Edition

Continue reading “In Memoriam”

The social media phenomenon seemed at first to represent a magnificent advance for human freedom, extending to the common man the opportunity for expression of his thought to the entire world. Yet what we thought was a new, paradigm-changing degree of liberty is now rapidly being thwarted by vigorous social media censorship carried out in the name of policing offensiveness, and of protecting people from the harm of hearing someone else’s opinion. Social media censors are even expanding their arbitrary enforcement of speech limitations into the realms of political and religious speech. Facebook warnings on RNC ads, YouTube restrictions on PragerU, Twitter censoring President Trump, Facebook “fact-checks”, and now even suspension of Trump campaign ads by Twitter, typify such aggressive censorship. What a stark contrast exists between the heavy-handed intervention by social media censors and the principle underlying the very limited constraints on public speech which the government may impose in accordance with the First Amendment. As the Supreme Court explained just a few years ago in Matal v. Tam:

. . . it is a fundamental principle of the First Amendment that the government may not punish or suppress speech based on disapproval of the ideas or perspectives the speech conveys.¹

Since social media now sustains our public discourse to a very great extent, the progressive suppression of conservative speech on social media at will is nothing less than a catastrophe. Conservatives must find and implement effective means for fighting internet censorship – quickly.

Continue reading “Defeating Internet Censorship”

Well, this is fantastic news!

I mean, for months now, I have been absolutely convinced that it was beyond imperative that I scrupulously exercise social distancing and mask-wearing for the survival of both myself and others. The governor has solemnly pronounced mandatory restrictions on my freedom of movement and action. I was warned in no uncertain terms that if I did not comply with said restrictions I was not only risking a painful death but also vigorous law enforcement measures upon my person. You should see the county’s implementing orders on this subject: I have seldom seen a more impressive list of “whereases” in a government document.

As part of these sacrosanct protective measures, I was also informed by both the governor and my local bishop that I could no longer attend Mass in person on Sunday, since it was way too dangerous. After all, I have to admit, it is hard to conceive of a more dangerous pursuit at a time like this: sitting or standing for long periods of time, occasionally breathing incense, and (here is the kicker) being within a few feet of other people!! The very thought is troubling. At first, not even “social distancing” and the wearing of face masks was considered sufficient to meet minimal standards of safety at Holy Mass. Now, however, we have taken limited steps toward freedom: the entire church has been divided into separated spaces to ensure all are appropriately remote from one another. Of course, this severely diminshes the number of seats available, so Mass is now first-come, first-served. If you are too late, you are banished to the parking lot – provided you maintain your social distance!

But now the great news!! Mask-wearing and social distancing are no longer mandatory! I know this because for a week now I have been watching the massive social justice protests occurring across the country from my corona virus sanctuary. I have been observing what must be thousands of people parading through the streets – many without masks and jammed together in huge crowds, as if they have never heard of the concept of social distancing!

At first I waited expectantly for the governor to act vigorously to enforce the corona virus restrictions. After all, it has been pounded into all of us that it is of extreme importance that we cooperate with these restrictions in order to prevent possibly millions of deaths across the country. A significant portion of the economy is still shut down for this very reason. I thought that the governor would have to act adamantly and expeditiously to protect the protesters from the ravages of the deadly corona virus.

But now there has been a week of immense protests, and not a word from the governor. I understand that curfews have been set, and the national guard has been called out in order to stop rioting, but that is all related only to the immediate effects of the protests. There have been no actions from our leadership to deal with the corona virus consequences of the protests.

What does this mean?? Why are government officials no longer concerned with the corona virus? If the corona virus is still dangerous, then is it not possible that a huge corona virus spike is forthcoming, due to the rapid spreading of the virus which must be occurring due to the protests??

What has happened?

Could it be that the corona virus threat has precipitously declined, and there is just so much news to report that the main stream media have not been able to report it? Could it be that the corona virus has become such a low priority that it does not even merit reporting by the media or action by the government?

Well, if so, this is really great news! It must be that the great pandemic of 2020 is over!!

I am certain that very soon, tomorrow or the next day, it will be all over the news that the corona virus is a thing of the past, and that we can all get back to real life once again.

I am still a little confused however. This is not unusual, as it seems to happen more often as I get older. But I thought, with the pandemic over, that my local church would be back in business. For some reason though, my church seems not to have received the news. All of the corona virus restrictions are still in place. I just don’t get it.

But I have an idea. Maybe if a bring a protest sign with me to Mass on Sunday . . .