Reflections from news and commentary of the day
Posts
Saturday, June 23, 2018
How the baby boomers — not millennials — screwed America - Vox
How the baby boomers — not millennials — screwed America - Vox: "The boomers inherited a rich, dynamic country and have gradually bankrupted it."
The Case Against Mega Mergers Is Written in History
The Case Against Mega Mergers Is Written in History: At lightning speed, after a judge approved the merger, AT&T and Time Warner announced the completion of their $85-billion deal. Another behemoth has taken the field. This merger, it is assumed,…
Spain: Ground Zero for Europe's Anti-Israel Movement
Spain: Ground Zero for Europe's Anti-Israel Movement: The proliferating anti-Israel activism, driven by the rise to power of the political far-left, is establishing Spain as the EU member state most hostile towards the Jewish state. A Madrid-based organization, Action and Communication on the Middle East
Humanae Vitae Conference
Humanae Vitae Conference: Michael Voris: 'You should be prepared to be martyred'
High-Ranking US Cardinal Accused of Sex Abuse
High-Ranking US Cardinal Accused of Sex Abuse: Cdl. Theodore McCarrick forced to step down from public ministry
U.S. Chamber Statement on Potential Auto Tariffs | U.S. Chamber of Commerce
U.S. Chamber Statement on Potential Auto Tariffs | U.S. Chamber of Commerce: WASHINGTON, D.C. — U.S. Chamber of Commerce President and CEO Thomas J. Donohue issued the following statement today in response to the Commerce Department announcement that it will launch an investig
Who is Profiting from Incarcerating Immigrant Families? – Eyes on the Ties
Who is Profiting from Incarcerating Immigrant Families? – Eyes on the Ties: Corporate profiteers are cashing in off of Trump’s immigrant family incarceration policy. We mapped out them out.
Donald Trump flips on North Korea, declaring country still an 'extraordinary threat' | US news | The Guardian
Donald Trump flips on North Korea, declaring country still an 'extraordinary threat' | US news | The Guardian: In an executive order, the president extended the ‘national emergency’ for one year, re-authorizing economic restrictions
Summer Could Trigger Major Earthquakes (It's Not Why You Think)
Summer Could Trigger Major Earthquakes (It's Not Why You Think): There’s a new theory on what may have triggered the 2014 earthquake that tore through California’s Napa-Sonoma Valley.
Wilkerson: Don’t Trust Trump, Bolton to Deliver US-North Korea Peace | naked capitalism
Wilkerson: Don’t Trust Trump, Bolton to Deliver US-North Korea Peace | naked capitalism: Colonel Lawrence Wilkerson and Real News Network host Aaron Mate mix it up a bit more than usual on the topic of North Korea.
Pope says immigration issue has to get to the root problems in home countries
Pope says immigration issue has to get to the root problems in home countries: Returning from an ecumenical pilgrimage to Geneva and a meeting with the World Council of Churches, Pope Francis took up the issue of immigration during an in-flight press-conference. The Holy Fath…
Friday, June 22, 2018
The Targeted Killing of Children With Down Syndrome in Abortions is No Different Than Nazi Eugenics | LifeNews.com
The Targeted Killing of Children With Down Syndrome in Abortions is No Different Than Nazi Eugenics | LifeNews.com: Pope Francis surprised the audience gathered for the 25th anniversary of the Forum of Family Associations just a few days ago by forgoing his carefully prepared remarks to speak candidly on marriage, family life, and human dignity. His message was simple but definitive: “family life… is a sacrifice, but a good sacrifice.” With this message of family sacrifice as a backdrop, Pope Francis identified abortion as one of the most profound tragedies plaguing the family today. “Have you ever asked yourselves why we do not see many dwarves on the streets?” he asked, “Because the protocol of many doctors – many, not all — is to ask the question: ‘Is this a problem?’ It pains me to say so. In the last century, the world was scandalized by what the Nazis did to ensure racial purity. Today we do the same thing, but wearing white gloves.” A doctor’s white gloves, created to envelop the hands of healers, are instead being used by abortionists every day around the world to extinguish the lives of
Trump's EU auto tariff threats and his disregard for the law.
Trump's EU auto tariff threats and his disregard for the law.: Another escalation in the President's global trade war.
Notice Regarding the Continuation of the National Emergency with Respect to North Korea
Notice Regarding the Continuation of the National Emergency with Respect to North Korea: On June 26, 2008, by Executive Order 13466, the President declared a national emergency with respect to North Korea pursuant to the International Emergency
DHS Did Not Investigate Hundreds of Civil Rights Abuse Complaints, Documents Reveal - Motherboard
DHS Did Not Investigate Hundreds of Civil Rights Abuse Complaints, Documents Reveal - Motherboard: DHS’s Office of the Inspector General says it has 'limited resources' to investigate hundreds of civil liberties and detainee abuse complaints, but one expert said the figures “demand a closer look.”
No, North Korea Hasn’t Blown Up Missile ‘Launch Sites’ After the June 12 Summit | The Diplomat
No, North Korea Hasn’t Blown Up Missile ‘Launch Sites’ After the June 12 Summit | The Diplomat: Trump continues to fabricate North Korean concessions following his summit with Kim Jong Un.
Kim Jong Un to Make Third Trip to China, One Week After Singapore Summit With Trump | The Diplomat
Kim Jong Un to Make Third Trip to China, One Week After Singapore Summit With Trump | The Diplomat: The North Korea leader will likely brief Chinese President Xi Jinping on the outcomes of the June 12 summit in Singapore.
Pastor Rick Warren Talks to New York Priests About Maintaining Moral Integrity | Catholic New York
Pastor Rick Warren Talks to New York Priests About Maintaining Moral Integrity | Catholic New York: Nearly 800 New York Catholic priests received a message about how to maintain their moral integrity from Pastor Rick Warren, who used Scripture passages and his experiences from 40 years as an …
Study: more governments around the world restricting religion
Study: more governments around the world restricting religion
http://www.patheos.com/blogs/deaconsbench/2018/06/study-more-governments-around-the-world-restricting-religion/?utm_source=facebook&utm_medium=social&utm_campaign=FBCP-CAT&utm_content=June2018
LGBT Parents Sue Christian Academy | [site:name] | National Review
LGBT Parents Sue Christian Academy | [site:name] | National Review: When religious liberty collides with the desires of LGBT citizens, is there any case where religious freedom should prevail?
Future President Hillary: Investigators Broke Rules to Please New Boss | National Review
Future President Hillary: Investigators Broke Rules to Please New Boss | National Review: For all the investigations and IG reports, for all the revelations of scandals and wrongdoing, there will probably in the end be little consequence, simply because to those who matter, such illegality is seen as nobility.
Opinion: Save some anger for worst refugee offender – China | McClatchy Washington Bureau
Opinion: Save some anger for worst refugee offender – China | McClatchy Washington Bureau: Caging kids in the U.S. is reprehensible, but China's closed door is, too. China doesn’t have a refugee problem. It’s policy is as simple as it is heartless. It effectively refuses to take any. The result? No refugees means no refugee problem.
Iran Responds to U.S. Demands – LobeLog
Iran Responds to U.S. Demands – LobeLog: by Mohammad Javad Zarif Following the Trans-Pacific Partnership and the Paris Climate Accord, the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA) is the third multilateral agreement that the current Uni…
Josh Zakim: Some Things Progressives Should Know | Massachusetts Peace Action
Josh Zakim: Some Things Progressives Should Know | Massachusetts Peace Action: Boston City Councilor Josh Zakim is running as a “reform” candidate for Massachusetts Secretary of State. At the recent State Democratic Convention, where he got the party endorsement, Zakim received the support of many progressive delegates, including some members of Our Revolution Massachusetts (
Fake News and the Luciferian Media
Fake News and the Luciferian Media: Fr. Hardon: 'Catholics must evangelize through print, film, radio, television and now the internet.'
Fatherless Family Crisis | Reports
Fatherless Family Crisis | Reports: Fatherless families are destroying children and society.
Catholics, remember to pray for Charles Krauthammer
Catholics, remember to pray for Charles Krauthammer: Charles Kauthammer died last night. Two weeks ago, the Pulitzer Prize winner and political analyst announced his impending death, telling the world that he is losing a fight to cancer “with no regrets.” I am certain that many Christians have prayed for Krauthammer’s soul since June 8. But Catholics should especially remember to pray for...
We need to resurrect our ideal of welcoming immigrants | National Catholic Reporter
We need to resurrect our ideal of welcoming immigrants | National Catholic Reporter: Today, I pulled a favorite T-shirt out of my drawer and put it on because it has a message for today. It shows a drawing of Jesus, Mary and Joseph heading into Egypt. The caption on the T-shirt says &...
Catholic Extension launches reunification fund to help families at border | National Catholic Reporter
Catholic Extension launches reunification fund to help families at border | National Catholic Reporter: Catholic Extension announced June 21 it has established a Family Reunification Fund as "a response to the human tragedy unfolding on the nation's southern border" with Mexico.
Family sep...
Family sep...
Editorial: Sound the horn, bishops, we're waiting | National Catholic Reporter
Editorial: Sound the horn, bishops, we're waiting | National Catholic Reporter: On the major issues of the day — immigration, climate change, racism, income inequality, to name a few — we are seeing extraordinary grassroots efforts to combat draconian federal policies...
Workers of color are far more likely to be paid poverty-level wages than white workers | Economic Policy Institute
Workers of color are far more likely to be paid poverty-level wages than white workers | Economic Policy Institute: Marking the 50th anniversary of the 1968 Poor People’s Campaign, EPI has described the potential to reduce poverty through work, provided there are jobs with decent wages and adequate hours available to everyone who can and wants to work. Unfortunately, even when jobs are available, workers are often paid so little that they can still…
How US Policy in Honduras Set the Stage for Today’s Mass Migration – Consortiumnews
How US Policy in Honduras Set the Stage for Today’s Mass Migration – Consortiumnews: U.S. policy in Honduras, particularly during the Obama administration, is directly responsible for part of the immigration crisis now gripping the U.S., argues Joseph Nevins.
By Joseph Nevins
Central American migrants – particularly unaccompanied minors – are again crossing the U.S.-Mexico bou
By Joseph Nevins
Central American migrants – particularly unaccompanied minors – are again crossing the U.S.-Mexico bou
'It's life and death': border crossings continue despite the Trump effect | US news | The Guardian
'It's life and death': border crossings continue despite the Trump effect | US news | The Guardian: In McAllen, Texas and in the Mexican city of Reynosa, numbers seeking asylum in the US are down. But the president’s hard line and harsh rhetoric may not be enough to quell the desperate and threatened for long
Fate of 2,300 separated children still unclear despite Trump's executive order | US news | The Guardian
Fate of 2,300 separated children still unclear despite Trump's executive order | US news | The Guardian: NGOs say bringing parents and children back together is an enormous puzzle with no clear system from the administration
A Rare Look at Yemen’s War, Where Children Starve and Hospitals Are on Life-Support
A Rare Look at Yemen’s War, Where Children Starve and Hospitals Are on Life-Support: Photojournalist Alex Potter chronicles the suffering of Yemenis after three years of fighting and near famine.
Interview with Charles Krauthammer: 'Obama Is Average' - SPIEGEL ONLINE
Interview with Charles Krauthammer: 'Obama Is Average' - SPIEGEL ONLINE: In a SPIEGEL interview, Charles Krauthammer, the leading voice of America's conservative intellectuals, discusses Barack Obama's Nobel Peace Prize, the president's failures and the state of the United Nations and the international community.
Charles Krauthammer, Pulitzer Prize-winning columnist and intellectual provocateur, dies at 68 - The Washington Post
Charles Krauthammer, Pulitzer Prize-winning columnist and intellectual provocateur, dies at 68 - The Washington Post: His syndicated Washington Post column championed neoconservative thought and the 2003 invasion of Iraq.
Pentagon asked to prepare housing for up to 20,000 migrant children - The Boston Globe
Pentagon asked to prepare housing for up to 20,000 migrant children - The Boston Globe: WASHINGTON — The Pentagon is assessing how — and where — to house as many as 20,000 unaccompanied migrant children on U.S. military bases, a spokesman said Thursday.
Bishop Barron's Gospel Reflection June 22, 2018
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Iran’s Vulnerabilities To U.S. Sanctions (Part 1): Finding The Weak Spots
Iran’s Vulnerabilities To U.S. Sanctions (Part 1): Finding The Weak Spots
https://breakingenergy.com/2018/06/21/irans-vulnerabilities-to-u-s-sanctions-part-1-finding-the-weak-spots/?utm_source=Breaking+Energy+Newsletters+Master+List&utm_campaign=5c6fbb9502-MAILCHIMP_BD_DAILY&utm_medium=email&utm_term=0_88392479a3-5c6fbb9502-411632309
CRS Previews Public Release of its Reports – Federation Of American Scientists
CRS Previews Public Release of its Reports – Federation Of American Scientists: The Congressional Research Service said this week that it will begin publishing some of its non-confidential reports on a publicly accessible congressional website by September 18, as required by the Consolidated Appropriations Act that was signed into law last March 23.
"For the initial public r
"For the initial public r
Uri Avnery Guest Post: Two Souls
Uri Avnery
June 23, 2018
"AS LONG as in the heart, within, a Jewish soul is yearning…"
thus starts the official translation of Israel's national anthem.
Actually, the Hebrew original says "the soul of a Jew", but the
translator probably got it right. It's the Jewish Soul that was meant.
But is there a Jewish Soul? Is it different from the souls of other
people? And if so, what is the difference?
FRANKLY, I don't know what a soul is. But let's assume that there is such
a thing as a collective psychology, the general spirit of all the men and women
who make up this collective – each of whom has a psychology of his/her own.
What is it that differentiates it from that of other peoples?
Looking at the present day Israeli people, a stranger may well be
perplexed. First of all, more than a fifth of Israelis are not Jewish at all,
but belong to the Palestinian people, who presumably have a different
"soul". When people speak about Israelis, they generally really mean
"Jewish Israelis".
This, by the way, should have convinced Israelis long ago to change the
national anthem and other symbols of statehood, to give the minority a sense of
belonging. The Canadians did so. When they realized that the citizens of French
descent were liable to secede and found a nation of their own, they changed
their anthem and flag, so as to give the French minority a sense of belonging.
As far as I can judge from afar, the operation was successful. But there is
little chance of this happening here.
EVEN WHEN speaking about Israeli Jews only, our national psychology (or
"soul") is rather perplexing. It contains elements that are mutually
exclusive, profound inbuilt contradictions.
On the one hand, most (Jewish) Israelis are immensely proud of the power
of the state they have “built out of nothing". 150 years ago, there were
hardly any Jews in the land of Palestine, and these were completely powerless.
Today, Israel is the most powerful state in the region, a nuclear power
excelling in many fields of human endeavor – military, technological, economic,
cultural etc.
Yet listening to many Israeli outpourings, one might come to the
conclusion that we may be wiped from the map at any moment. The world is full
of people whose sole aim in life is to destroy us. Therefore we must be ready
at any moment to defend our very existence.
How do these two contradictory attitudes go together? No problem. They do
very well.
FIRST, THERE is the ancient belief that God chose us from all the peoples.
Why did God do that?
God knows. He does not have to explain.
The thing is a bit complicated. First the Jews invented God. There are
also Egyptian and Mesopotamian claims, but Jews know better.
(It has been said that many Jews do not believe in God, but believe that
God has chosen the Jews.)
Jews learn at a very tender age that they are God's chosen people.
Unconsciously, this knowledge remains anchored in their "soul"
throughout their life, even though many of them become total atheists. True,
many peoples on earth believe that they are better than other peoples. But they
don't have a Bible to prove it.
I am sure that many Jews are not even aware that they believe this, or
why. The Jewish soul just knows it. We are special.
The language reflects this. There are Jews and there are the others. The
Hebrew for all the others is "goyim". In ancient Hebrew,
"Goyim" just means peoples in general, including the ancient
Israelite people. But over the centuries a new definition has come into being:
there are the Jews and there are all the others, the Gentiles, the Goyim.
According to legend, the Jews were a normal people living in their land,
the Land of Israel, when the evil Romans conquered them and dispersed them
throughout the world. In reality, the Jewish religion was a proselytizing
religion and expanded quickly throughout the empire. The Jews in Palestine were
already a minority among the adherents of Jehovah, when the Romans evicted many
of them (but far from all) from the country.
Soon they had to compete with Christianity, an offshoot of Judaism, which
also started to wildly gain adherents. Christianity was built around a great
human story, the story of Jesus, and was therefore more apt to convert the
masses of slaves and proletarians throughout the empire.
The New Testament also includes the story of the crucifixion – an
unforgettable picture of "the Jews" demanding the execution of the
gentle Jesus.
I doubt if a person who heard this story in their early childhood ever
really loses the scene in their unconscious mind. The result is some kind of
anti-Semitism, conscious or unconscious.
This was not the only reason for hating the Jews. The very fact that they
were dispersed throughout the world was a huge advantage but also a huge curse.
A Jewish merchant in Hamburg could connect with a Jewish merchant in
Thessaloniki, who was corresponding with a Jewish merchant in Cairo. Few
Christians had such an opportunity. But the competition exposed Jews to
innumerable pogroms. In one European country after another Jews were attacked,
killed, raped, and finally expelled.
In the Jewish soul all this created two conflicting trends: the conviction
that Jews were special and superior and the conviction that Jews were in
eternal danger of being persecuted and exterminated.
IN THE meantime, another offshoot of Judaism - Islam - came into being and
conquered a large part of the world. Lacking a Jesus story, it was not
anti-Jewish. Muhammad had his quarrels with Jewish tribes in the Arabian
desert, but for long stretches of time, Muslims and Jews worked closely
together. Moses Maimonides, one of the greatest Jewish thinkers, was the
personal physician of one of the greatest Muslim heroes, Salah ad-Din (Saladin).
Until Zionism arose.
Jews did not change. While other European nations changed their forms of
social structure – tribes, multi-tribal kingdoms, empires, modern nations etc.
– Jews stuck to their ethnic-religious diaspora. This made them different,
leading to pogroms and finally to the Holocaust.
Zionism was an attempt to turn the Jews into a modern European nation. The
early Zionists were cursed by orthodox Rabbis in the most savage terms, but
refused to be drawn into a culture war. They created the fiction that in
Judaism, religion and nation are the same.
Theodor Herzl, the founder of modern Zionism, was a European colonialist
through and through. He tried to win a European colonial power for his
enterprise – first the German Kaiser, then the British imperialists. The Kaiser
said to his aides "It’s a great idea, but you can't do it with Jews".
The British realized the potential and issued the Balfour Declaration.
The Arab populations of Palestine and the "Middle East" realized
too late that their very existence was in danger. When they started to resist,
Zionism built up modern military forces. Very soon, they became by far the most
efficient military machine in the region, and the only local nuclear power.
THAT IS where we are now. A domineering regional power and a global
crybaby, ruling a colonized population deprived of all rights while being
convinced that dark forces are out to exterminate us at any moment, considering
ourselves a very special people and an eternal victim. All this quite
sincerely. And all this together.
When somebody dares to suggest that anti-Semitism in the West is dying,
and that anti-Islam is on the rise instead, the Jewish reaction is furious. We
need anti-Semitism for our mental equilibrium. Nobody is going to steal it from
us.
Almost 80 years ago, small groups of young Jews in Palestine had the idea
of a separation between the communities: we Jews in Palestine were a new
nation, all the others would remain just Jews. Rather like Americans and
Australians, who were largely of British descent but not quite British anymore.
We all went "native". On reaching the age of 18, we all
exchanged our Jewish names for Hebrew Names. (That's how Uri Avnery came into
being.) We started to think of ourselves as a new nation, with a new
"soul", connected to Judaism, sure, but mainly historically.
But when the full extent of the Holocaust became known, all these ideas
died. The Jewish past was glorified. Now Israel calls itself the "Jewish
State". With all the attributes of being Jewish, including the double
soul.
So Israelis will continue to sing at football matches "As long as a
Jewish soul…"
“Ask a Priest: Where Did Those People in Genesis 4 Come From?” - RC Spirituality
“Ask a Priest: Where Did Those People in Genesis 4 Come From?” - RC Spirituality: Q: I recently ran into a question and wanted to get the Catholic teaching and answer, please. The Bible says...
“Ask a Priest: If God loves us so much, why does hell exist?” - RC Spirituality
“Ask a Priest: If God loves us so much, why does hell exist?” - RC Spirituality: Q: How can a loving God send anyone to hell? I was always told that God loves us unconditionally, but...
Has the West the Will to Survive? | Patrick J. Buchanan - Official Website
Has the West the Will to Survive? | Patrick J. Buchanan - Official Website: By Patrick J. Buchanan
"If you're ... pathetically weak, the country is going to be overrun with millions of people, and if you're strong, then you don't have any heart, that's a tough dilemma. ... I'd rather be strong."
So said President Donald Trump, on issuing his order halting the separation of children from parents caught breaking into the country. Trump's enemies are celebrating a victory. Yet the issue remains.
Under U.S. law, teenagers and tots cannot be detained for more than 20 days and must be held in the least-restrictive facilities.Read more on Buchanan.Org...
"If you're ... pathetically weak, the country is going to be overrun with millions of people, and if you're strong, then you don't have any heart, that's a tough dilemma. ... I'd rather be strong."
So said President Donald Trump, on issuing his order halting the separation of children from parents caught breaking into the country. Trump's enemies are celebrating a victory. Yet the issue remains.
Under U.S. law, teenagers and tots cannot be detained for more than 20 days and must be held in the least-restrictive facilities.Read more on Buchanan.Org...
Analyzing Art: Titian's 'The Miracles of St. Anthony of Padua’--Aleteia
Analyzing Art: Titian's 'The Miracles of St. Anthony of Padua’--Aleteia: Tiziano Vecelli (anglicized as Titian) is one of the greatest painters of the Venetian school of High Renaissance art. Born in the Republic of Venice in 1488-90, his vivid application of colour had a profound influence on the artistic world. His imaginative temperament earned him the title of a poet-painter. The fluidity in his painting, the increasing freedom of brushstroke and his deft ability to grasp personality can be well noted in today’s series.
America Has Quit the Human Rights Business
America Has Quit the Human Rights Business
https://www.alternet.org/news-amp-politics/america-quits-human-rights-business
Thursday, June 21, 2018
There's an Anti-Immigrant Uprising Sweeping Europe...and Threatening to Unseat Teflon Angela
There's an Anti-Immigrant Uprising Sweeping Europe...and Threatening to Unseat Teflon Angela: German Chancellor Angela Merkel could be out of a job and her country headed towards elections barely 100 days after the formation of her new government, which took six months to form. It would be a performance worthy of, well, Italy, and all because the stolid, reliable Bavarian conservatives who spent years acting as a doormat for her chancellorship turned into raging
A Litany of Prayer for Refugees, Migrants, and Displaced Persons
A Litany of Prayer for Refugees, Migrants, and Displaced Persons
For the refugees, migrants, and displaced persons of this world,
Lord, hear our prayer, and let our cry come to you.
Lord, hear our prayer, and let our cry come to you.
https://interruptingthesilence.com/2018/06/21/a-litany-of-prayer-for-refugees-migrants-and-displaced-persons/
Charles Krauthammer, conservative commentator and Pulitzer Prize winner, dead at 68 | Fox News
Charles Krauthammer, conservative commentator and Pulitzer Prize winner, dead at 68 | Fox News: Charles Krauthammer, a longtime Fox News contributor, Pulitzer Prize winner, Harvard-trained psychiatrist and best-selling author who came to be known as the dean of conservative commentators, has died.
Hospital Killed More Than 450 Patients in Massive Euthanasia Campaign By "Shortening Their Lives" | LifeNews.com
Hospital Killed More Than 450 Patients in Massive Euthanasia Campaign By "Shortening Their Lives" | LifeNews.com: Hospital Killed More Than 450 Patients in Massive Euthanasia Campaign By "Shortening Their Lives"
Conservative Columnist Charles Krauthammer Passes Away, Had Called for Overturning Roe v. Wade | LifeNews.com
Conservative Columnist Charles Krauthammer Passes Away, Had Called for Overturning Roe v. Wade | LifeNews.com: Conservative Columnist Charles Krauthammer Passes Away, Had Said He Hoped Roe v. Wade Would be Overturned
Bishop Barron's Gospel Reflection June 21, 2018
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Freeman’s Fight | The American Conservative
Freeman’s Fight | The American Conservative: The Israel lobby gets its man—and tips its hand.
Why robots helped Donald Trump win - MIT Technology Review
Why robots helped Donald Trump win - MIT Technology Review: Toledo has more robots per worker than any other US city. They’re producing a healthy economy—and lots of anxiety.
What’s Wrong with Communism? | Ascension
What’s Wrong with Communism? | Ascension: When St. John Paul II reflected upon the fall of communism, he insisted that it was a mistake to view its failure simply as a matter of economic inefficiency. On the one hand, there is some truth to the following quip: socialism distributes wealth, it doesn’t create it. And others have made the same point by rhetorically asking, “Where would you rather go to the bathroom, a public or private restroom?” Nonetheless, the real issue with communism is not merely a matter of economics, but goes much deeper. In reflecting upon earlier papal condemnations of the Marxist doctrine of class warfare, John Paul II has this to say: “[W]hat is condemned in class struggle is the idea that conflict is not restrained by ethical and juridical considerations, or by respect for the dignity of others…. As a result of this doctrine, the search for a proper balance between interests … was replaced by attempts to impose absolute domination of one’s own side through the destruction of the other side’s capacity to resist, using every possible means, not excluding the use of lies, terror tactics against citizens, and weapons of utter destruction …. Therefore, class struggle in the Marxist sense and …
What Does the Church Say about Capitalism? | Ascension
What Does the Church Say about Capitalism? | Ascension: In a previous post, I treated the Church’s critique of communism, both at the moral and spiritual level, as well as on economic grounds in terms of what is most befitting to human dignity and human freedom. While the Church certainly favors a market economy (i.e., capitalism) and recognizes the right to private property and even profit as an indicator of business health, it does so with certain qualifications. A place to start is St. John Paul II’s Centesimus Annus where he clearly provides the Church’s nuanced approval of capitalism: “If by ‘capitalism’ is meant an economic system which recognizes the fundamental and positive role of business, the market, private property and the resulting responsibility for the means of production, as well as free human creativity in the economic sector, then the answer is certainly in the affirmative …. But if by ‘capitalism’ is meant a system in which freedom in the economic sector is not circumscribed within a strong juridical framework in its totality, and which sees it as a particular aspect of that freedom, the core of which is ethical and religious, then the reply is certainly negative” (Centesimus Annus, 42). In this post, we want to unpa
No More Blank Checks for War | The Nation
No More Blank Checks for War | The Nation: With Trump in the White House, Congress must reassert its role in governing the use of military force.
Why We Need a Wider Foreign-Policy Debate | The Nation
Why We Need a Wider Foreign-Policy Debate | The Nation: The establishment consensus has failed. Citizen intervention can change that.
World to Refugees: Go to Hell – LobeLog
World to Refugees: Go to Hell – LobeLog: by John Feffer It’s a famous story, though perhaps not famous enough. The 1939 voyage of the MS St. Louis, a German ocean liner, was recounted in a 1974 book and a 1976 film (both titled Voyage of …
How to Challenge the Elite Consensus for Endless War | The Nation
How to Challenge the Elite Consensus for Endless War | The Nation: There’s only one way: We have to harness the energy of millions of fed-up voters.
Leaked Internal Memo Reveals the ACLU Is Wavering on Free Speech - Hit & Run : Reason.com
Leaked Internal Memo Reveals the ACLU Is Wavering on Free Speech - Hit & Run : Reason.com: "Our defense of speech may have a greater or lesser harmful impact on the equality and justice work to which we are also committed."
How Trump’s Popularity Is Holding Up, By State | FiveThirtyEight
How Trump’s Popularity Is Holding Up, By State | FiveThirtyEight: Welcome to Pollapalooza, our weekly polling roundup. Poll of the week Let’s keep things simple this week: Morning Consult just released its latest edition of Pr…
Cutting thru the fog of lies about immigration - Fabius Maximus website
Cutting thru the fog of lies about immigration - Fabius Maximus website: There are a few people helping us by cutting through the lies and emotionalism about immigration. Here are two examples.
The US Quits on Human Rights – LobeLog
The US Quits on Human Rights – LobeLog: by Mitchell Plitnick In a move that seemed very likely when Donald Trump was elected president and was cemented when he appointed Nikki Haley as ambassador to the United Nations, the United States …
O Canada | Council on Foreign Relations
O Canada | Council on Foreign Relations: A trade war with Canada makes no strategic sense.
Doctrine and Trump’s Foreign Policy – LobeLog
Doctrine and Trump’s Foreign Policy – LobeLog: by Paul R. Pillar The urge within the commentariat to describe every president’s foreign policy in terms of some clearly defined doctrine is as strong as ever, but Donald Trump presents would-be do…
Trump's Central America threat backs USAID chief into a corner | Devex
Trump's Central America threat backs USAID chief into a corner | Devex: On Wednesday, USAID Administrator Mark Green faced questions from Congress about President Donald Trump's latest threat to cut U.S. foreign assistance funding.
Alfie Evans’ Parents Vow to Expose What Happened
Alfie Evans’ Parents Vow to Expose What Happened: 'The world needs to know what happened in those five days'
Mother Fights PA Hospital to Save Son’s Life
Mother Fights PA Hospital to Save Son’s Life
https://www.churchmilitant.com/news/article/mother-fights-pa-hospital-to-save-sons-lifeEditor's Note
I am away on business travel today but will resume posting this evening. Have a great
first day of summer.
Michele Kearney
first day of summer.
Michele Kearney
Wednesday, June 20, 2018
Bernard Lewis: The False Prophet of the Big Lie
Bernard Lewis: The False Prophet of the Big Lie: Martin SIEFF: Lewis’s real heritage is clear: It lies in more than a million dead in Iraq since 2003, more than 600,000 killed in Syria and in the continuing specter throughout the region of wars without end.
How One Conservative Think Tank Is Stocking Trump’s Government - The New York Times
How One Conservative Think Tank Is Stocking Trump’s Government - The New York Times: By placing its people throughout the administration, the Heritage Foundation has succeeded in furthering its right-wing agenda.
The War in Afghanistan is Killing More People Than Ever – LobeLog
The War in Afghanistan is Killing More People Than Ever – LobeLog: by Edward Hunt Seventeen years into the war in Afghanistan, the longest war in U.S. history, violence has never been worse. In 2017, more than 20,000 Afghans died, a new record. The dead include an…
Alfie Evans’ Parents Vow to Expose What Happened
Alfie Evans’ Parents Vow to Expose What Happened: 'The world needs to know what happened in those five days'
Julian Assange and the Mindszenty Case – Consortiumnews
Julian Assange and the Mindszenty Case – Consortiumnews: Courageous publishers like Julian Assange and principled churchmen like Cardinal Jozsef Mindszenty are a rarity: Neither would be silenced; and both had to seek asylum; but the similarity ends there, explains Ray McGovern.
By Ray McGovern Special to Consortium News
During World War II Cardinal Jo
By Ray McGovern Special to Consortium News
During World War II Cardinal Jo
Separating Kids at Border: The Truth | National Review
Separating Kids at Border: The Truth | National Review: The past practice had been to give a free pass to an adult who is part of a family unit. The new Trump policy is to prosecute all adults. The idea is to send a signal that we are serious about our laws and to create a deterrent against re-entry.
A Decade Of Illusions: Miroslav Michael Djordjevich’s Papers On The Disintegration Of Yugoslavia Donated To Hoover
A Decade Of Illusions: Miroslav Michael Djordjevich’s Papers On The Disintegration Of Yugoslavia Donated To Hoover
https://www.hoover.org/news/decade-illusions-miroslav-michael-djordjevichs-papers-disintegration-yugoslavia-donated-hoover?utm_source=hdr&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=2018-06-20&utm_source=Hoover+Daily+Report&utm_campaign=cdfefa91bb-HDR_COPY_01&utm_medium=email&utm_term=0_21b1edff3c-cdfefa91bb-73113757
1968 - A Year When Many in the Church Drank the Poison of the World - Community in Mission : Community in Mission
1968 - A Year When Many in the Church Drank the Poison of the World - Community in Mission : Community in Mission: There was something awful about the year 1968. Fifty years later we are still reeling from its effects. Perhaps we do well to ponder the deep wounds that still fester today. I was a young lad at the time, and almost everything I saw on the television news terrified me. Harrowing nightly reports from Vietnam …
Religion and the Democratic Party: It's complicated | National Catholic Reporter
Religion and the Democratic Party: It's complicated | National Catholic Reporter: The final panel in the "Faith and the Faithful in U.S. Politics" series of dialogues at Georgetown University June 18 examined the issue of whether the Democratic Party has a religion proble...
Pope reaffirms women can't be priests, says Church has 'woken up' on sex abuse
Pope reaffirms women can't be priests, says Church has 'woken up' on sex abuse: In a wide-ranging interview in which he spoke about the ongoing migrant crisis in the United States, Pope Francis also touched on issues such as female ordination, the ongoing Vatican talks with China and the clerical sexual abuse scandals in Chile.
Retired Washington cardinal out of ministry after credible abuse allegation | National Catholic Reporter
Retired Washington cardinal out of ministry after credible abuse allegation | National Catholic Reporter: In a shocking announcement, Cardinal Theodore McCarrick, who served as the archbishop of Newark, New Jersey, and Washington, D.C., before retiring in 2006, has announced that he is stepping down from ...
Opinion | Fall of the American Empire - The New York Times
Opinion | Fall of the American Empire - The New York Times: Trump turns his back on everything that made us great.
Prominent tech CEOs are denouncing Trump’s border separation policy - The Verge
Prominent tech CEOs are denouncing Trump’s border separation policy - The Verge: Tim Cook, Mark Zuckerberg, and others are calling for immediate changes to Trump’s border separation policy.
Fr. Bob Warren's Week Reflection: As wego through life, we all sow seeds.
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