Cross MD Road Rally With Congressman Andy Harris

On  Saturday, May 2, 2020,  ReOpenMDNow conducted a statewide "Cross MD Road Rally" to protest Hogan's shutdown of Maryland social, religious and economic life.  It started in Frederick and ended in Salisbury.  Congressman Andy Harris spoke in Salisbury.

Because of other commitments, I couldn't join the rally in the beginning.  I caught up with them at a lunch stop on Kent Island.  We then had a motorcade down Route  50 till we got to Salisbury.  We were slated to use one empty mall parking lot.  Some Salisbury bigwigs decided they didn't like that (I don't know all the details) but we were able to relocate relatively painlessly to a Kohl's parking lot just a few minutes north of our original location.

I understand that State Rep Dan Cox was slated to give an opening address in Frederick.  However, MD State Police informed him that if he attended the rally, he'd be arrested.  I am happy to learn that Cox and some other delegates have filed suit on account of that gross violation of First Amendment rights.  The Maryland Troopers also pulled participants off the road as they were processing along Interstate 70.  Again, another violation of First Amendment rights that one might have found in a history text regarding Nazi Storm Troopers.  In the video, you'll hear Congressman Harris allude to that.

We had heard that counter-protesters might try to disrupt us along the way.  I myself didn't see any of that.  When I was driving to the Kohl's lot, I saw a vehicle with the signs that you see to the right.

When I first saw this, I thought how the sign on his car was quite typical of the thinking of liberals.  He admits that he's simply willing to laze around and do nothing while good people strive to be productive. 

A few minutes later, I realized this fellow was malevolent as well as lazy, as you'll see in the video.  The long and short of it is that he got into the parking lot before I did and when I emerged from my car, he had shoved one of our people - with his car!  I believe the term is "vehicular assault".  The cops put on a show of interviewing him, but he wound up just driving away.  Why was he not put in handcuffs?  A few hours ago, MD State Troopers were pulling us over for simply driving on the freeway.  In Salisbury, a liberal deliberately strikes someone with their car, and the local cops just send him on his way.  I don't know if he even got a perfunctory "slap on the wrist".

There will be other actions - such as a protest next Saturday at Church Circle in Annapolis.  I believe it starts noon, but will confirm.  In the meantime, here is my video of the rally.

Local Tin-Horn Tyrants Manifest Themselves

People are indeed acting like chickens with their heads cut off.  Certainly their brains have been short-circuited.  Consider NYC Mayor Bill De Blasio.  His latest hysterics were caused by a group of Orthodox Jews engaging in a funeral service.  He snarled at both Jews and Christians saying "the time for warnings has passed" and "you need to stop services".  Now what was that about "separation of Church and state again"?  Of course we always knew that when the left uttered that mantra, they meant that religious beliefs were not permitted to be implemented in public arena - all about the marginalization of faith.  That marginalization has been racheted up a few notches, so now the state is invading houses of worship.  But I digress!  Say!  Isn't this the same fellow who decided to "donate" over 400,000 meals to Muslims to break their ramadan fasts?  Guess who's really paying for that?  Gotta love that selective "separation of church and state"!  So is De Blasio blaming the covid death rate of NYC on Jews?

Al Gore begs to differ!  According to him, the real cuprit behind covid is fossil fuels!  It's all that global warming, you know!  But wait a minute!  Doesn't the covid-19 virus disintegrate in warm temperatures?  My!  Talk about an Inconvenient Truth!

All too often, though, our bishops outdo the secular dictators in sheer pettiness and stupidity.  I admit that Canada is a bit further down the rabbit hole of lunacy than are we, but we're not that far behind.  Bishop Albert Thevonet of Prince Albert, Saskatchewan, really believes that marriage is bad for "social distancing"!  Very bad!  But if they must get married, Thevonet insists that weddings confom to local health regulations. That means that bride and groom must stand two meters apart during the nuptial Mass!  I'm not kidding!  At first I thought I was reading the Babylon Bee!  What sane person would cough up this crap?  None!  Just what does this bishop expect the hapless newlyweds to do on their wedding night?

Wisconsin police (of Calumet County) harrass a mother for the high crime and misdemeanor of (gasp!) letting her daughter play at a neighbor's home.  Watch that exchange!  The male deputy is Matthew Eberhardt.  The sheriff's department webpage is already in damage control mode.  Contact them and let them know your displeasure at their unconstitutional overreach.

Here's Knox County TN telling churches they may not distribute Communion.  According to those local despots, Communion is "not deemed core worship".  So now they have the chutzpah to dictate our doctrine to us???

Some good people are starting to stand up for their liberties.  Here's an account of a Virginia church that is suing the governor of Virginia for his unconstitutional stay at home order.

Meanwhile, here in the People's Republic of Maryland, Hogan shows no signs of letting up with his draconian measures.  His press conferences aren't much more than exercises in preening and posturing.  Ad nauseum we are told how he, as governor, was ahead of most other states in dealing with the pandemic.  Oddly enough, though, we are lagging behind in the resumption of our civil liberties and economic life.  I sense an inconsistency here.

Ah, but he is taking measures!  You'll be reassured to know that the Baltimore City Police is hiring (drum roll, please) Covid-19 Social Compliance Officers!  Take a gander at that advertisement and the qualifications for which they seek!  Military experience!  De-escalation skills (whatever the hell that means)!  Now look at the "pay and benefits" section.  There's "opportunity for growth"!  No wait a minute!  Doesn't "growth" require time, and a considerable amount at that?  Just how long do the oligarchs plan to keep this lockdown in place?  According to what Hogan said in the early days, we'd be getting back to normal soon, precluding any such "opportunity for growth"!

Now if Hogan is really gung-ho on public safety, then why, oh why, is he getting set to release hundreds of prison inmates into society?  Is it to make room in the jails for those recalcitrant "selfish" ones who simply want to support their families and walk "the wrong way" down the grocery store aisles?  Far-fetched?  Then why did four separate police departments descend upon a Cecil County restaurant owner when he served carry-out in compliance with all "social distancing" regs?  He is demanding answers and I hope he files suit.

WTOP has some questions about Hogan.  They too have noticed him bragging about himself and his multitude of public appearances.  Normally I don't pay too much attention to mainstream media but this time I think they are on to something.  Hogan is on his second term as governor.  He can't run again for that seat.  But he can run for federal office.  Chris Van Hollen is up for reelection in 2022.  Does he seek that seat?

It's quite possible that he has his sights set on the presidency, perhaps even to challenge Trump for this coming presidential election.  Consider what he is doing with those 500,000 test kits that he just got from South Korea.  No, I am NOT quoting the Onion on this.  He has them stashed away in a secret location, guarded by both Maryland State Troopers and the Maryland National Guard, against the federal government, i.e., President Trump.  Talk about a direct slap in the face to the president - or maybe it's just paranoia!  Actually I think it's just purely political posturing at our expense.  I don't think the kits have been tested by the FDA so how can Hogan be sure that they aren't tainted?  This is crap that I would have expected from Hillary or Obama, not a GOP governor.

Hogan needs to retire, but first he needs to do something decent and start the reopening of Maryland, and the nationwide tyranny needs to stop.

Operation Gridlock MD - A First Hand View

In Friday's post I mentioned that I would be joining a protest of Governor Hogan's unconstitutional power grab with other MD citizens.  That I did and post my own video compilation below.  These are various snippets merged together so that is why you'll notice jumping from one scene to another.  This was a "drive-thru" protest, so all maintained "social distancing".  The State House was cordoned off so we didn't drive right by him.  However, the rather high buildings with streets emanating from the State House made for a nice echo chamber.  There was no escaping our horn blasts.  I understand similar protests will occur in Pennsylvania, Wisconsin and other places during this next week.

Will we have to engage in further protest and actions?  Well, that's largely up to Hogan.

Breaking - Maryland Governor Hogan Permitting Drive-In Religious Services

The directive can be found here.  Note for Catholics - this does not allow for reception of Holy Communion, as physical contact with clergy is not allowed.  Still, it's a step back in the right direction.

It remains to be seen how the Roman Catholic prelates will implement this.  It's 7:20 pm as I write this, and I just learned of it.  It's quite possible that chancery staff haven't learned it or are just doing so after the workday.  Thus their websites are not updated yet.  Let's see how they respond to this tomorrow.

If they don't respond, or persist in disallowing Mass, there just might be Eastern Rite churches (in union with the pope) who will happily resume.

Now if we can just get the rest of the First Amendment back in force...

UPDATE - As of 5pm today, there is no acknowledgement of the April 1st directive on either of the archdiocesan websites.  It appears that they wish to pretend this new directive wasn't issued.

Reflections On The Treason Against Holy Mass And Civil Liberties

A few, no, many words are in order for us to understand the seizmic significance of what has spewed forth from our chanceries over the past few days. And it is a huge deal, what is going down.

I and many others are old enough to recall a quaint document, regarded as obsolete by progressives, known as the United States Constitution.  I'll now link to the First Amendment to the Constitution.  We tend to think of this amendment solely in terms of free speech, but the amendment protects more rights in addition, namely freedom of religion and freedom of assembly.  Yesterday, at a press conference, Governor Hogan of Maryland enacted a ban of all gatherings, including religious, at all locations.  Ladies and gentlemen, to be blunt, in that speech he trampled upon the First Amendment.. That scenario was repeated several times throughout the United States.

"But it's for public safety!", you say?  Well, listen to the wise words of one of our Founding Father, Benjamin Franklin: "Those who would give up essential liberty to purchase a little temporary safety deserve neither liberty nor safey and will lose both".  Today the excuse for discarding the Constitution is the covid-19 virus.  Well, months from now, what will be the excuse when governmental officials wax a little too Orwellian for their britches?  More importantly, how will we protect our rights, given that so many of us are now willing to excuse the ever-encroaching camel's nose under the tent?

As disappointed as I am in Governor Hogan, I am even more profoundly disgusted at the wide-spread acquiesence and even approval that this governmental overreach is garnering from American citizens.  Have we forgotten who we are as a people?  Have we no knowledge of our history, or of our founding documents?  Perhaps it's because so many of us are morally weakened by de facto atheism and sensuality (especially regarding sexual matters) that our intellects are now stunted and calcified.  Collectively we have become not people, but sheeple, being willing to be led by our noses, provided that we have sufficient creature comforts, entertainment, anything else that might facilitate perpetual childhood.  Shame on us!

More importantly, shame on the Church!  With a few notable exceptions (thank you, Archbishop Sample and Bishop Strickland), the bishops have gone right along with the suppression of our Faith and even surpassed civic leaders in perfidy.  That is precisely what Archbishop Gregory did yesterday; he surpassed Hogan via his draconian measures.  Reading his press release again, Gregory claimed to be "following public safety directives made by Governor Hogan".  However, Hogan's ban on public gatherings only applies to gatherings in excess of 250 people, not all gatherings.  Why did Gregory cancel all Masses?  We probably heard that Archbishop Lori limited Mass attendance to 250 people while dispensing the Sunday obligation.  I'll leave debate of that for another possible post.  At least in Baltimore Masses are still happening.  Moreover, during weekday Masses the attendance is nowhere close to 250.  Yet Gregory canceled every public Mass.  I must also point out that Gregory canceled Masses in Washington DC, clearly outside of Hogan's jurisdiction.  If the DC government issued a similar injunction, I find no record of that. This action of Gregory's, whatever the motive, is an abysmal disgrace.  In a crisis such as this, more Masses are needed, not less.

Thankfully a few prelates understand that they are bishops and most see to the eternal salvation of their flock.  Archbishop Sample of Portland OR reiterated the right of the faithful to receive Holy Communion on the tongue.  There is no blather of Masses curtailed in his archdiocese.   Bishop Strickland of Tyler TX has called for Eucharistic processions for repentance and to beg for healing.  The Polish Bishops' Conference stated that it's unconscionable to close churches and that more Masses are needed.

Mindful of these events and the fast-approaching St. Patrick's feast day, I post the video below.  It seems quite appropriate, given that many of us will either have to travel far and wide for Mass or even do without it.