Yes, Liberal-Minded Catholics! Socialism Is Intrinsically Evil

 Father Altman presents a talk below explaining how the popes of the past 175 years, from Pius IX to Benedict XVI, have formally condemned socialism in all its alias - including liberalism.  Please note a few things.

• Father Altman not only quotes the various pontiffs, but he also cites the documents in which the popes pronounced their denunciations.  The names and publication dates are plainly displayed on the screens.
• Missing from that list of popes is our current Pope Francis.  Sadly, we know why.
• The popes decry the socialist usage of terms such as: liberty, fraternity, equality and others.  If they seem familiar, it's because these embody Masonic ideals such as those that drove the French Revolution.

Understand that the nightmares that these pontiffs foresaw will be ours should Biden prevail this Wednesday.  Please pray your rosaries with the specific request that Trump prevails.

Covid And BLM Meant To Pave Way For Socialism And New World Order

 On Friday 8/28, Michael Hichborn of Lepanto Institute published an address that he gave, reflecting on various current events and connecting some very obvious dots.  At the 32:58 mark, he begins to talk about an article mentioning "resetting the economy".  This "resetting" that is being bandied about by various "leaders" entails the introduction of "socialistic policies" and "green new deals".  Is anyone surprised?   Among these "leaders" is the World Economic Forum.  They specifically laud the "ideas" of Bernie Sanders and Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez.

At the 37:03 mark, Hichborn quotes them as stating that the Corona virus "has created an important opportunity".  While it certainly is an implmentation of the Alinskyian rule "never let a crisis go to waste", this is almost verbatum repeated by the pope in a recent address that he gave.  I will now post both videos below.

So now we have a reasonable supposition that the covid thing is being hyped in order to pave the way for socialism.  From the second video, it almost seems that the pope is in on the scam.  They are now becoming quite open about their schemes to implement this "new world order".  Hichborn mentions a site called greattransition.org.  Take a look at it.  Please also watch the full videos.  We must inform ourselves and others, and need to be willing to invest the time to do so.

We have to do a few things to combat this socialistic, masonic evil being foisted upon us.  We must (if we aren't doing so already) commit to praying the Rosary every day.  In November, we must vote to defeat the baby-slaughter socialist party.  That means we vote Republican, from Trump on down.  Don't give me any blather about "sitting out the election" or voting "third party" for if you do, you will be sinning against the virtue of prudence (as well as committing other sins).

Progressives Believe That Billionaires And Babies Should Not Exist

As most of you know, I live in the liberal loony bin known as Montgomery County, MD.  It is quite common around here to see cars with bumper strips that tout allegiance to some progressive demigogue-wannabe, such as Bernie Sanders.  That is what you see to the left.  But notice that there are two strips.  I couldn't read the lower left of the one on the right side of the car, but I believe that originated from the Sanders campaign as well as the other.  You can click on it and it should open in a new window.  Then you can expand the picture.  It says "Billionaires should not exist".  Can't you just feel the loovvvee?  The "tolerance"??  Can Sanders be a tad envious of billionaires?  After all, he himself is only worth a paltry two million dollars.  I don't know about you, but I think I could struggle by on a mere $2M, but I digress.  I was going to ask why didn't he say "millionaires should not exist" but I suppose I answered my own question.

What do they propose to do with any hapless billionaire that should cross their paths?  Rob him/her of his/her wealth on the spot?  Or perhaps they have some sort of Hitler-esque "final solution" in mind for these souls who dare to be wealthier than Sanders himself?

One class of individuals whom Sanders and indeed the whole gamut of Democratic presidential candidates would consign to the final solution is unborn children.  Maryland, being cursed with progressives in Annapolis and weak or even complicit bishops in chanceries, is a mecca for child killers.  Not only is Leroy Carhart permitted to continue his slaughter business in Bethesda, but apparently unlicensed abortionists are allowed to slaughter babies while civil officials look the other way.

We had long been aware that Delhi Thweatt was a threat to women as well as their children.  Operation Rescue has recently learned that his licence expired over three months ago, yet he still does his butchery at the mill in Hagerstown MD.  On the OR sight is a video of a city council meeting where Christians try to point out this mess and ask for correction.  Somehow I had hoped that Washington County had more sense of decency and responsibility than Montgomery County, but alas, I appear to be mistaken.

We have our work cut out for us.  We must continue to pray the Rosary, as Our Lady requested.  We must also work to take back our culture from the dung heap.

Bangkok - Pope Calls For Humanism, Not Conversion To Jesus

A few days ago while in Bangkok, the pope called for an "integral humanism", a "cooperation between religions".  Why?  Because he's concerned about "our common home".  Notice a few things:

• The sole focus on the world of the "here and now", with no mention whatsover of eternal realities such as the Last Four Things
• Not one mention of Jesus Christ and the need to conversion to the One True Faith
• Religious indifferentism, treating all religions as though they are equal in importance and value.  That is utterly false since the Roman Catholic Church has been entrusted with the Sacraments and the Deposit of Faith.

Lastly there is that word "humanism".  The Gloria article states that the meaning of the term "integral humanism" is unclear.  I think it's meaning is frighteningly clear.  Moreover, I think the pope knows its meaning too.  For starters, let's look at the American Humanist Association.  At the top left of the main page, look at its tagline: "Good Without God".  The astute reader will look at that tagline and realize the inherent problem.  That is, without God, who or what defines what is good?  It has a subpage that offers various definitions of humanism.  Among them is one proffered by the Humanist Society of Western New York.  Notice the second sentence.  According to them, humanists believe that this is the only life of which we have knowledge and that we "owe it to ourselves" to make it the best life for ourselves and others with whom we share "this fragile planet".  With that last sentence in mind, does that not shed some light on the pope's complete silence regarding God and eternal life?

Several months ago, Bishop Robert McElroy of San Diego spoke on similar themes at the World Meeting of Popular Movements.  My blogging colleague at Cal-Catholic.com published some exerpts that deserve some special emphasis, owing to their inimical content.  McElroy yapped and yammered about "our common home" (buzz term alert!)  He also stated that the US economy "must be contained within a big government juridical structure" for "wealth is a common heritage".  This is socialism, rooted in the same atheistic foundations as humanism.  Here is a brief synopsis detailing why socialism is sinful.  Here's a list of previous popes condemning socialism. 

All this and more is just part and parcel of the progressive/masonic attempt to establish a one-world government devoid of God, a secular utopia if you will.  Both the Roman Catholic Church and the United States stand as clear obstacles to that establishment and thus the progressives strive to undermine the Church and the US.  In this current pope they have a willing accomplice.  That is not the case for the United States - for now.

Pacts Of The Catacombs Are Pacts With The Devil

Immediately after the Second Vatican Council, in 1965, a group of council attendees met at the Catacombs of Domitilla and signed something called the "Pact of the Catacombs".  I never knew this, but then again I was only a child when Vatican II happened.  Earlier today, some of the sin-nod fathers decided to repeat history, with some more embellishment.  They returned to those catacombs to sign something called "Pact of the Catacombs for the Common Home".  Actually the name is so long as to be ostentatious so I'll just use that shorter version.

George Neumayr wrote an article about both pacts.  He pointed out that the 1965 thing was not much more than a screed for socialism and so-called "social justice".  This new pact is more of the same, but it throws environmentalism and paganism into the mix.  In the Vatican News article, we read a quote from Cardinal Hummes, the chief relator of this Sham-azon Sin-nod, that the sin-nod was a fruit of the Vatican II Council. He may be wrong on so many other matters, but on this matter he is dead-on correct.

I'll now present Michael Matt's commentary on the matter.  As an added treat, we also learn that according to Archbishop Orlando Brandes of San Paulo, we who call out the obvious horror of this synod are "possessed by the dragon of traditionalism".  Whatever.



Now if you want a preview of what the implementation of these pacts will mean for you, take a look at what is likely coming to a parish near you - maybe your own!  The million-dollar question for each one of us is, "in addition to prayer and fasting, what are you prepared to do, should this sacrilege be attempted at your parish?"

Pope Francis, We MUST, On Pain Of Sin, Avoid Even The Appearance Of Communism

Pope Francis, this past Monday, claimed that Christians shy from the "social gospel" because they fear that the Church will look like the Communist Party.  Of course he is trying to cajole Catholics into disregarding their common sense so that they will indeed swallow the "social gospel" crap - and eventually socialism, if not outright communism.

In light of these shameless attempts by the pope and other quasi-socialists to induce false shame into us, we must stand strong and call them out for what they are.  Here are just a few facts about this "social gospel". He is a big fan of Dorothy Day and her Catholic Worker Movement.  I don't know just what Day's original intent was for the CWM, but it has veered into socialism and dissidence.  From this page of the DC affiliate, we see that they have allowed disgraced Bishop Thomas Gumbleton to speak at their events, as well as some Pax Christi individuals.  Of course, rabidly pro-abortion Jeffrey Sachs was often invited to the Vatican to craft Laudato Si, a thinly-disguided apology for socialism, as well as population-control and climate-change junk science.

In 1984, Pope John Paul II suspended a divinis the priestly faculties of Fr. Ernesto Cardenal, when the latter held a cabinet position in Nicaragua's Sandinista government.  Cardenal had always been a Marxist involved in "liberation theology".  Pope Francis lifted the suspension.  He noted that Cardenal accepted the suspension, but there was no mention of Cardenal seeing the errors of his Marxist and liberation theology mindsets.  In this and his various document, the pope displays an untoward affinity for socialism and even communism.

Previous popes have proclaimed quite different things about socialism and communism.  They are worth a study.  They emphatically declare those philosophies to be inherently evil.  So should Christians shy away from appearing to be communists, even if they aren't - for now?  Absolutely.  1 Thessalonians 5:22 is adamant about avoiding the appearance of evil - and that is what communism is.  The so-called social gospel is a spiritual and moral booby-trap.

Hymn To Socialism

That describes the offeratory hymn at today's 9:30 Mass at St John Neumann in Gaithersburg, MD.  It's called "Render to Caesar" by Carolyn Winfrey Gillette.  I was singing right along but stopped at this line: "may our taxes, all together, fund our working hand in hand".  It's a sweet, clever paraphrase of this statement: "from each according to his ability to each according to his need".  For the history-deprived, that last piece of mental poison comes to us courtesy of Karl Marx, the long-recognized father of modern socialism.  Socialism has been condemned by many popes.

Seeing this slop coming from this woman, I knew that "when there's smoke, there's fire".  And quite a destructive fire there is, as a simple google search revealed.  She has quite a write-up in wikipedia.  She and her husband are "co-pastors" at Overbrook Presbyterian Church.  Right there we have two problems: 1) the works of a non-Catholic were proffered to our congregation for singing as though they were valid spiritual input; 2) she obviously doesn't understand the concept of only men being permitted to preach.

Going down the wikipedia page, we see that she's written hymns for all sorts of occasions: peace, racial justice, environmentalism, illegal immigrants, natural disasters, etc.  We even see one for superbowl Sunday.  So that pretty much covers all areas of "concern" for Christians, right?  Well, not quite!  But maybe I just overlooked the hymns lamenting abortion, euthanasia, homosexual sin, assaults on marriage and family.  If they exist, please point them out to me in the comment boxes.  If not (and I truly think that's the case), why not?  Sometimes silence and omissions sound the loudest sounds.

Speaking of assaults on life, marriage, and family, our pastor made the point that these are matters that belong to God as opposed to the state.  It was a solid, truthful point.  I regret that the offertory hymn undermined that message.

Envirowhackos Prepare For Pope's Visit

From the Washington Post we read that several envirowhacko groups are planning to stage a rally on the Mall on September 24th, when the Pope is due to speak at the Capitol.  Their permit application reveals that they expect several hundred thousand to attend this thing.  Note on the Post site the picture of the poster thanking the pope for Laudato Si.  They intend to make "the moral case for reducing greenhouse gas emissions".

So they expect around two hundred thousand.  Alrighty then!  Now just how are all these environmentally-conscious activists planning to get to this rally?  I assume the great bulk will be from out of town and from different areas of the country.  In keeping with their aim of "reducing greenhouse gas emissions", will they eschew cars and planes?  Do they plan to hike on foot here?  Or maybe they'll come via horses and wagons?  Surely they don't plan to increase their own carbon footprints with gas-guzzling planes and cars now, do they?  Do they???  Well, I think we know the answer to that!

Noami Klein herself let the cat out of the bag regarding the real use that progressives have for environmentalism.  It's a ploy to foist socialism, with all its atheistic and anti-life underpinnings on humanity.  And yes, the pope is in on it; let's stop pretending that he's a naive but lovable ol' grandpappy.  Whatever else he is, he's not stupid.

We now have an idea why the United Nations has embraced environmentalism, along with Agenda 21 and all the socialist philosophies underlying them.  Why else would Ban Ki-Moon have attended the Vatican-sponsored environmental summits?  We have noticed these patterns and the Vatican tries to poo-poo our concerns.  Perhaps they protest too loudly.

Naomi Klein Acknowledges Truth Of Environmentalism; Can We Acknowledge Truth Of This Papacy?

About six weeks ago it was reported that Naomi Klein had been invited to participate in a Vatican environmental summit.  At that time we all suspected that she was using "climate change" to promote socialism.  The Heartland Institute (a common-sense scientific organization that was denied access to the Vatican as they tried to offer their input) has discovered that Klein herself admitted her modus operandi.

They discovered this rather direct quote from her regarding climate change: "The really inconvenient truth is that it’s not about carbon—it’s about capitalism. The convenient truth is that we can seize this existential crisis to transform our failed economic system and build something radically better."  Could she possibly have made her aims more explicitly clear?

Here's another "inconvenient truth" that I'd ask my "pope-cannot-be-criticized" friends to consider.  Unless Pope Francis is a completely clueless moron, he understands quite well where Klein stands in regards to climate change and socialism.  The same can be said for the others that he has let into the Vatican: Maradiaga, Sachs, Schnellnhuber, etc.  Are we truly to believe that all this progressive infiltration can be ascribed to "bad advisors"?  Whatever else the pope is, he is not some naive lil' ol' bumpkin; one does not become bishop and cardinal with those traits.

Personnel is policy, and the pope knows his personnel.  Regarding the office of Vicar of Christ, all Our Lord promised us in that regard is that the pope would never solemnly promulgate error - and that's it!  A sitting pope can do much damage without invoking infallibility; it has been done in past centuries and there is no reason on earth to presume that the same cannot happen now or in the future.

Pope Francis recently decided to call September 1st a "World Day of Prayer for the Care of Creation".  Well, consider that in light of Klein's self-revelation and her continued influential role at the Vatican.  This is nothing more than brainwashing maturation to disarm prepare us for the sin-nod and further UN encroachment on our lives.

Let me suggest an alternative prayer intention for September 1, and this is not an original suggestion.  Let us keep our pope and bishops in prayer and pray that they remember their high offices and to place the salvation of souls as their one and only priority to obey the God Whom they serve.

Cardinal Maradiaga Continues His Espousal Of Socialism

I've written quite a bit about the harm that Cardinal Maradiaga is inflicting upon the Church: his dalliance with the World Social Forum, his encouragement of the encroachment of illegal aliens and his foolish embrace of "climate warming" (we could use a little warming right now, but I digress).  Now consider that he is the head of the "gang of eight" prelates that are serving as top advisers to the pope.

Today the Catholic Herald UK gave details about remarks made by the cardinal at a book presentation recently.  In the words of the Herald piece, "The book includes an interview with Pope Francis responding to accusations that he is a Marxist or a Communist because of his insistence that the economy, finance and free market must be controlled to ensure a greater distribution of the world’s wealth. A portion of the interview was published in January. 'I did not say anything that is not in the social teaching of the Church,' he said in the full interview."

This "insistence that the economy be controlled" begs some questions.  First, who or what should be doing this "controlling"?  That makes a world of difference.  If that controlling is done by the government, well that is socialism by definition.  And if the pope and cardinal think that socialism does not contradict Church teaching, what do they say about the words of previous pontiffs?

Further down the article, we see the cardinal grumbling about "bank officials" being allowed to retire comfortably and play golf while others are struggling.  Again, who does this "allowing"?  Have you ever noticed how these socialists like to couch their sentences in passive voice?  When one uses passive voice in a sentence, the subject of the sentence is usually not mentioned as it would be in active voice.  Thus we see things like "being controlled" and "being allowed", phrases that shift focus on the receiver of the "allowing" and "controlling" as opposed to the initiator of the action.  If the initiator were made manifest, then most would see plainly the intentions of the Maradiagas of the world and rightfully reject them.

By the way - if Maradiaga wants an image of a powerful person wantonly playing golf while people to whom he answers are suffering, I direct his attention to the picture at right.  The Messiah Most Miserable has taken copious golf trips paid by the taxpayers of this country, many of whom are financially strapped owing to his draconian taxes, etc.  When will Maradiaga rebuke him?  The answer is "never" for he and Obama are of the same mind in all too many respects.

Vatican Swallows The Spiritual And Intellectual Poisoned Koolaid Called Environmentalism

LifesiteNews did an expose of the Vatican's embrace of environmentalism this past Wednesday called "Why Is The Vatican Stumbling Into Climate Controversy?"  He points out the Vatican luminaries (including Cardinal Maradiaga, the leader of the "gang of 8").  He also points out a statement by the Vatican that "the scientific consensus is rather consistent..."  No it isn't.  There is a wide divergence of conclusions in the scientific community (see here and here) - the sort that the progressive media tries to keep silent.

The most important Jalsevak pointed out is that this matter of "climate change" is way beyond the bishops' realm of competence.  They have no knowledge by which to make scientific conclusions, let alone decide and declare which of widely varying theories is correct.

I would like to think that the Vatican is just being naive and easily led when it comes to climate change.  However, I now believe there are powerful forces within the Vatican - the same ones controlling the USCCB - that are pulling puppet strings and doing their utmost to promote progressive agendas upon the whole world.  Last week Cardinal Dolan was simply taking marching orders from those holding his puppet strings; the behaviors cited in Jalsevak's reports are at the behest of the same masterminds.

Four years ago I posted commentary on an expose of environmentalism done by Michael Voris.  Here is the link to my commentary; embedded in that post is the video that he produced and another link to supporting documentation.  Note the three principles to environmentalism: population control, world governance, earth worship.   Here I believe we see a rather stark example of earth worship.  If you clicked on the "Dolan" link in the preceding paragraph and were able to endure RFK Jr.'s diatribe in the video, you noticed his none-too-subtle hints at socialism.

In this video from Sunday's parade/charade (ht Reason Magazine) you'll notice even less subtle calls for socialism.  Warning!  As the video proceeds, your eardrums will be assaulted by hideous music performed (using words "performed" and "music" loosely) by aging hippies.  You might want to offer up any earaches as penances.

Environmentalism is just another ploy to replace western civilization with atheism and socialism.  Now they are leading the Vatican by the nose.  This is yet another reason why we cannot blindly follow and obey every statement issued by the Vatican - especially when they violate the Magisterium and step outside their realms of competence.  Now the Right Reason video..

Pope's Economic Ideas - Harmful To Civilization

Approximately 400 years ago, the settlers who landed at Plymouth Rock (Pilgrims) decided at the get-go that they would hold all in common.  All would work for the good of all.  They were led in this venture by their governor, William Bradford.  The result was several years of paltry harvests plus resentments among the pilgrims that they could not benefit from their own labor.  Bradford and the others had the wisdom to know that socialism (for that is what it was) was an inherently flawed system that was doomed to failure.  Bradford divided the land among the settlers and decreed that what the farmers grew was theirs to use.  Lo and behold, both planting and harvests increased dramatically and the famines they had experienced became a thing of the past.  Read here and here for more details and context.

Of course I need not go into the spectacular failures of socialism that have been evidenced throughout modern history, most notably the FORMER Union of Soviet Socialist Republics and the other Iron Curtain countries.  They and the free world were at odds with one another during what was known as the Cold War.  They collapsed as a result of the inherent corruption and flaws of socialism.  By and large, their leaders had not the wisdom and humility that William Bradford possessed 400 years ago.  Of course Bradford was a professed Christian and the Iron Curtain leaders were atheists so that accounts for a large part of their mental dispositions.

In light of all this, I and many others look with dismay upon the words of the Holy Father as he addressed United Nations leaders today.  I link now to the complete address that he gave.  Let me remind one and all that the Holy Father, by virtue of his office, will never solemnly proclaim error.  He can speak infallibly on matters of faith and morals: immutable and inherent truths of the Church.  He does not possess those same guarantees when it comes to matters of prudential judgment.  A discussion on what economic policies to pursue falls into this area in which good Catholics can respectfully disagree with the Pope simply because in these matters the Holy Father may well be in error from a prudential perspective.

Yes.  With respect to the Holy Father's economic ideas, I beg to differ.  In his address he appeals to a "legitimate redistribution of economic benefits by the state".  With all due respect to His Holiness, this notion is not only incorrect, but downright dangerous to all who would be impacted by its implementation.  All those already impacted by this concept have already experienced the inherent tyranny of a state so empowered.

Let's examine that phrase that he coined: "legitimate redistribution".  Why does he betray a need to qualify the word "redistribution" with "legitimate"?  Either it's understood to be legitimate or it isn't legitimate.  The very attempt to sanitize this "redistribution" with the word "legitimate" makes plain that he is trying his darnedest to get us to accept a very illegitimate redistribution.

Now for the places cursed with this "legitimate redistribution", we must ask "how does the state obtain these economic benefits to redistribute"?  Isn't it odd how progressive Catholics (and it appears the Holy Father is

in that number) don't like to address that question?  Not really - for they realize that this "obtaining" involved inherently sinful actions.  So let's spell it out in "black and white", shall we?  For all this "legitimate redistribution" to occur, the state would have to be empowered to confiscate the "economic benefits" from those who earned them by their own hard work and risk-taking of investment.  Those earners are treated as so many cash cows to be plundered at will by the state, with the approval - if not assistance - by progressive Catholics.  But there's this minor matter of the Seventh Commandment - Thou Shalt Not Steal.  That commandment binds upon the Church and State as much as it binds on individuals.  The fact that these progressives - from the highest Church office on down - are silent on this aspect of "redistribution" speaks volumes about both their guilty consciences and their refusal to repent of their socialistic proclivities.  What the Holy Father is also saying here is "from each according to his ability to each according to his need".  Ladies and gentlemen, I just quoted Karl Marx.

Pope Francis might do well to examine the words of his predecessors, going all the way back to Pius IX.  They saw clearly the dangers of socialism and a bloated, arrogant state.  Yes the state that is empowered to give us things is the state that is empowered to take them away.  If more and more power is ascribed to the state - and by extension to the oligarchy running it - it will become more and more corrupt and tyrannical.  Don't we see that today with Obamacare breathing down our necks?

Remembering that "redistribution" can hardly be called a dogma of faith, I have no bones opining that the desire for this "redistribution" is at best dangerously simplistic and naive if not downright moronic and deadly.  The Holy Father can and should speak about matters of immutable dogma and inherent morality.  Most people understand that the most common predictor of poverty for an individual is whether or not they come from an intact family where biological father and biological mother remain married to each other and who observe chastity in keeping with their married state.  So many evils militate against the family and against life (the Holy Father did make mention of the culture of death): contraception, abortion, acceptance of homosexuality and other perversions, etc.  Would not the Church and the world be better off if the Roman Catholic clergy would concentrate on faith and morals and stop meddling in matters where she has no practical expertise?  Yes.

The Left's Founding Fathers

Last month the Independent Journal Review published an article by Kyle Becker as he profiles the men whom he believes to be "founding fathers" of the left.  His list goes all the way back to Plato.  I frankly was a bit surprised to see Sir Thomas More included in that list.  If in fact More did espouse the abolition of private property, that in no way diminishes his witness to the sanctity of marriage and the primacy of the papacy.  In their defense, he was a martyr for the faith and thus is properly recognized as St. Thomas More.

Many of the others were no surprise: Marx, Dewey, Marcuse, etc.  Quite a few were unknown to me.  I'd suggest a study of these, to see how thinking inimical to Christianity was promulgated throughout the centuries.

Evil People Prop Up Evil Leaders

That is the main theme of a commentary I read about last night's election fiasco.  I've heard that thought expressed in another way: "In a democracy, the people elect the leaders they deserve".  There are those who voted for Obama because they wanted free healthcare/cellphone/education/etc.  Of course, nothing is free; someone has to pay for it.  Wanna know who that "someone" is?  Go look in the mirror.  But as Lady Margaret Thatcher said, "the trouble with socialism is that you will run out of other people's money to spend".  But those indifferent and even disobedient to God will lack the wisdom and foresight to understand basic common sense, let alone economics.  The fallout will hit them as much as anyone else.

The commentary mentions Michael Voris.  See below for his take on the elections.  He lays much blame at the feet for the bishops and their abysmal dereliction of duty to stand up for the truth.  He's correct.  Click here if you cannot see embedded video.

Circle Of Protection?? NOT!!!

Perhaps it would be more accurate to call that "Circus of Pandering". 

Here are some quotes, from the USCCB site.  "We are also committed to resist budget cuts that undermine the lives, dignity, and rights of poor and vulnerable people. Therefore, we join with others to form a Circle of Protection around programs that meet the essential needs of hungry and poor people at home and abroad."

Let's unpack that - shall we?  Let's look at "resisting budget cuts".  Ladies and gentlemen, thanks to the policies of the Messiah Most Miserable (and yes, the profligate spending that did precede him), there isn't the money to keep doling out willy-nilly.  If these "religious leaders" are going to ascribe to the federal government the moral responsibility to meet the needs of the poor, how do they think the government will finance all these programs?  Who will pay for them?  Hint!  Go look in the mirrror!  That's right!  You and I will be taxed - in fact, are being taxed - to the wazzoo.  Who else is being bled to death by taxes?  The poor!  Maybe they aren't paying much income tax (at least not yet), but they are taxed via sales tax, gas tax, etc.  Moreover, businesses are paying onorous taxes too, with dollars that they may have used to hire some of these impovershed people.  I suspect many of these "leaders" are of good heart, but their logic and thinking is downright lousy, if not actually non-existent. 
Notice the talk of "programs that meet the essential needs of hungry and poor people at home and abroad".  Now whose task is it really to meet the real needs of the poor?  Is it that of the federal government?  As I recall various Church documents on that topic, "society" is so tasked.  However, since when are "federal government" and "society" synonymous?  Answer - they aren't!

In Rerum Novarum, Pope Leo XIII set forth the principle of subsidiarity.  Basically, that principle teaches that the fulfillment of human needs must be undertaken at the lowest level of society possible - starting with the individual.  Leo was all too aware of the tendency of centralized government to arrogate to itself all manners of inappropriate functions and to grow into a behemoth.  Our American founding fathers, although predominanty Protestant, seemed to have an instinctive grasp of that principle when they set strict limits on the scope of federal goverment in the United States Constitution - particularly the Tenth Amendment.  Today we find that many progressives, many of them occupying high offices in church structures, are attempting to grow the federal government by ascribing to it all manners of responsibility - and thus authority.

On Thursday I posted about a planned bastardization of Rerum Novarum that will be run almost exclusively by socialists.  One of the two liberal chairs of a discussion panel has, and probably still is, receiving funds from George Soros via the magazine that he edits.  These are the sorts of people whom the Amchurch bureaucracy is allowing to interpret and mutate the authentic social teachings of the Church.  This "circus/circle" is just one more manifestation.

ps HT to Pewsitter

Lenten Carbon Fast - It's BAAAACK!

A perverse form of "lenten mortification" has returned to insult the intelligence of reasonable people.  Yes, "Earthministry.org" has snookered at least one Catholic parish in the Archdiocese of Washington into glommng onto the nonsensical farce called the "Lenten Carbon Fast" - Blessed Sacrament in the Chevy Chase area, to be precise.

Here's this year's "calendar" for your reading (dis)pleasure.  We start off Ash Wednesday by unscrewing our light bulbs (why don't they just suggest we not turn the lights on?).  Oh, things get even more profounds as we continue.  On March 20th, we are instructed to "Go for a walk.  Get wet.  Dig the earth."  Wow!  Can ya (wait for this!) dig this?  Cool!  Groovy, man!  We can tell this mess was compiled by now-aged 1960-style hippies who never quite grew up!

On April 3rd, we are served the obligatory "environmental guilt trip".  That is, we're supposed to "think prayerully" how we, the "richest nation", are consuming 80% of the world's resources.  Not mentioned, of course, is that the US is actually developing the bulk of the resources.  On April 6th, we're urged to watch some environmentalist propaganda; we're given a list of movies from which to select.  Of course, Al Gore's Inconvenient Truth is included.  Hey - if we're going to "think prayerfully" on something, how about the "inconvenient truth" that 3500 babies are being murdered every day in this country?  Now that is something for which the US should be ashamed - including Al Gore, a big proponent of baby-murder.

On March 26th, they're going to celebrate Earth Hour!  What is that?  Why, they're "taking action on climate change" by (now wait for this lovely suggestion!) turning off your lights for one hour at 8:30pm local time.  Well, guess what?  I'll have every light in my home blazing during that hour!  We can call this "Light Up The Night!"

By the way - did you notice all the crass, profit-centered commercials, masquerading as "climate-friendly suggestions" (shal we say)?   In addition to their own "shameless self-plug" on April 15th, we see on April 13th a number of seed and gardening suppliers suggested to us.  On March 23rd, we're urged to "reward ourselves for all our efforts so far - with chocolate!"  Then they plug "theochocolate".  Hey - I love chocolate as much as anyone else does - but can't they be honest about these promotions?  Sheesh!

Enough of this envirowhacko profanation and exploitation of Lent!  Here are some time-honored suggestions.

• If you're not attending daily Mass, try to get there a few times a week
• Make a good confession (mandatory if you're in mortal sin)
• Attend Stations of the Cross
• Pray at an abortion mill where babies are dying.  For locations close to you, consult http://www.40daysforlife.com/ and search for a local presence there.
• Contribute money to a pro-lfe charity that actually will save babies.  Some suggestions are on the right side-bar

The underpinnings to this "environmentalism" and "climate change" hysteria, being deliberately contrived, are really quite ominous.  I encourage you to watch an expose of this sham as produced by RealCatholicTV.  I link to it here.  In addition, please put the words "climate change" and "environmentalism" in this blog's search box.  Read the postings; look at the linked material.  I'll also leave you with one more; put the words "James Lee" in the search box.  You might recall that he was the perpetrator in the police stand-off last September in Silver Spring.  Look closely and see how he was impacted by the inherently anti-life underpinnings of the same philosphy that created the Lenten Carbon Fast.

USCCB's Labor Day Statement

Let me preface this by reminding parents of a trick they often used to administer pills to their little ones.  They'd crumble the pills and mix them with applesauce.  The youngsters gobbled the applesauce and the pills with it.  On a more sinister note, that trick has been used in administering poison - and heresy.  Quite often the nefarious elements are served with other things that are benign or perhaps even healthy in and of themselves.  But the deadly deed is being done.

I fear that might be the case with a statement that the USCCB produced for the occasion of the upcoming Labor Day holiday.  It's entitled, "A New Social Contract for Today's New Things".  A big hint of something not being quite right is the word "new".  That word is a favorite in the progressive lexicon.

About halfway through the document is a section called "the market, the state and civil society".  Now I'll quite the probable "poison pill".  "Economic life..needs just laws and forms of redistribution governed by politics, and what it is more, it needs works redolent of the spirit of gift."  Boys and girls, can we all say "socialism"?  Despite all the protests to the contrary, I say "if it looks like a duck and talks like a duck, it's probably a duck"!

Just remember - the USCCB, in and of itself, has no canonical nor teaching authority.  Only the individual bishops have that, as they are in unity with the Holy Father.

Socialism Is Evil

Anyone who has paid attention to Papal writings is quite aware of this fact (for Algore types - substitute "inconvenient truth" for "fact", if it helps).  One huge problem is that government becomes the de facto deity, the object of worship (hence the need for subsidiarity).



Father John Corapi has a bit to say about this plague called socialism.

We Have No King But.......

This clip from Real Catholic TV gives a brief definition of the role of civil government.  Michael Voris rightly decries those who look to government to solve their problems, and he also states that it's mostly left-wingers who do so.  I'll take that a step further by illustrating why I believe that liberalism and atheism feed each other.  The atheist claims there is no God.  However, such a claim violates his very nature, as we all recognize a need for God, be that need conscious or unconscious.  Nature abhors a vacuum.  So what, then, becomes the god of the atheist?  Well, there are the usual suspects: money, pleasure, comfort, convenience - but there's another choice of false deity - government!   I truly believe that is why so many atheists are lovers of Big Government and haters of the One True God.



"Too many Catholics look to the State to solve problems that the Church should be solving."  That does describe the modus operandi of the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops.  Let us learn the principle of subsidiarity.  Let us learn why Pope Pius XI condemned socialism.  Let such knowledge govern our votes this coming November.

A note to left-wing lawyers regarding my previous sentence.  We are NOT a "501(c)" anything!  Among other things, there are no muzzles upon what we can say, be it political, partisan or whatever.  So stop salivating, now!  There is no lawsuit fodder here!

If You Thought the Term "Obama Death-Care" Was Unkind..

Sorry! You're wrong! If anything, that term is an understatement of the horrors that await us all, should we be so unfortunate as to fall into the hands of his Frankenstein-esque cabal.

Here's a "case in point". It came to my attention that Cass Sunstein, another of Obama's countless "czars", has made his grisly opinions known. Since he was just recently confirmed, we can only assume that such are the views held by the Messiah Most Macabre himself. And just what might those views be?

He defends the "possibility of removing organs from terminally ill patients without their permission." Yes, you read that correctly! The "organ donors" need not be dead before Frankenstein et al come with their knives and buzzsaws to rip out their vital organs. Of course they will be dead immediately after the removal!

He writes candidly about this murder scenario in his book, "Nudge: Improving Decisions About Health, Wealth and Happiness". He calls this type of murder "routine removal". He says,"Though it may sound grotesque, routine removal is not impossible to defend. In theory, it would save lives, and it would do so without intruding on anyone who has any prospect for life." Well it not only sounds grotesque; it is grotesque! "Save lives? He is talking of ending lives. Moreover, we have the state here deciding who has any "prospect for life".

This book gets quite revelatory. Note this pivotal statement:"The state owns the rights to body parts of people who are dead or in certain hopeless conditions, and it can remove their organs without asking anyone's permission." (italics mine) Do you comprehend what he's saying here? If you fall into a coma or a condition like the murdered Terri Shiavo, according to Sunstein, it is the state who owns your body! Not you, not your family - but the state.

Such is the mindset of the left. The vast majority of leftists and socialists are atheists. They do not believe in the One True God. However, nature abhors a vacuum. Man's nature demands a god, since there is an inate instinct for a god (even though that instinct is corrupted by original sin). Thus the State becomes god. It is for that reason that Pope Pius XII pointed out that no one can truly be a Catholic while being a Socialist. Here we have crystal-clear proof of the dangers of what Mark Levin calls "statism".

One institution that had better learn this lesson is the Catholic hierarchy in this country. The bishops, at least the majority of them, still insist on their dangerous flirtations with socialism. We must help them learn that lesson. A good way to start will be to boycott the Catholic Campaign for Human Development collection in November.