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Monday, September 7, 2026
“Will the Good of the Other” BISHOP BARRON’S SUNDAY SERMON
Sunday Sermon
Friends, for the wokeist philosophy that dominates today, empathy—feeling the feelings of the other and not harming those feelings—is treated as a supreme value. But while empathy is perfectly good and decent, the Bible teaches that love, not empathy, is the supreme value. And love does not mean, primarily, feeling the feelings of the other or not hurting those feelings; it means willing the good of the other—and that can be, as Dostoevsky said, “a harsh and dreadful thing.”
Sunday, September 6, 2026
Presidential Actions REBUILDING THE UNITED STATES NAVY AND AMERICA’S SHIPBUILDING INDUSTRIAL BASE
https://www.whitehouse.gov/presidential-actions/2026/08/rebuilding-the-united-states-navy-and-americas-shipbuilding-industrial-base/
[Salon] Fwd: Mairav Zonszein: "It's Not Just the West Bank Settlers. It's Israel." (NYT) -
FM: John Whitbeck
In the NEW YORK TIMES guest essay transmitted below, my distinguished recipient Mairav Zonszein explains that the settler militias terrorizing Palestinians in the West Bank are "not isolated extremists or hooligans" but, rather, Israeli government agents carrying out Israeli government policies "to intimidate, harrass and make Palestinian life in the West Bank unbearable" as part of "a greater national project that is largely uncontested in Israel."
In view of this reality, it is pathetically inadequate for Western governments to merely sanction individual illegal settlers and particularly egregious politicians and to agonize over whether to require products produced in illegal settlements to be so identified when sold in their countries or banned from sale in their countries.
If Western governments are to have any hope of preserving any pretense of any genuine concern for human rights or international law, they must sanction the State of Israel itself and ban the sale of any of its products in their countries so as to, as Mairav writes, "compel Israel to dismantle the settlement enterprise as a whole."
https://www.nytimes.com/2026/09/06/opinion/israel-west-bank-settlers-violence.html
It’s Not Just the West Bank Settlers. It’s Israel.
Saturday, September 5, 2026
Politicians in San Francisco introduce legislation to form a publicly owned utility.
https://enewspaper.latimes.com/infinity/article_share.aspx?guid=0fca1927-a127-411b-ace4-d25e9fd754a9
https://enewspaper.latimes.com/infinity/article_share.aspx?guid=0fca1927-a127-411b-ace4-d25e9fd754a9
Friday, September 4, 2026
China’s Objections at the United States-Hosted G20 Finance Meeting and the Limits of Manufactured Multilateral Consensus
China’s Objections at the United States-Hosted G20 Finance Meeting and the Limits of Manufactured Multilateral Consensus
https://ggtvstreams.substack.com/p/chinas-objections-at-the-united-states?publication_id=2723908&post_id=214141557&isFreemail=true&r=1y80w&triedRedirect=true
California’s biggest reservoir in decades faces crucial moment
California’s biggest reservoir in decades faces crucial moment
https://www.sfchronicle.com/california/article/california-reservoir-sacramento-river-22416938.php?hash=aHR0cHM6Ly93d3cuc2ZjaHJvbmljbGUuY29tL2NhbGlmb3JuaWEvYXJ0aWNsZS9jYWxpZm9ybmlhLXJlc2Vydm9pci1zYWNyYW1lbnRvLXJpdmVyLTIyNDE2OTM4LnBocA%3D%3D&time=MTc4ODUzMTU5MTI2Mw%3D%3D&rid=OWU3MmE4YmItMmFlMy00MGQ5LThiODAtODZhMTdhNDViM2Rk&sharecount=MQ%3D%3D
This Data Center Is Getting a $77 Million Tax Break to Create One Job
This Data Center Is Getting a $77 Million Tax Break to Create One Job
https://nysfocus.com/2026/04/20/data-center-tax-break-jpmorgan-chase
Tax breaks for tech giants' data centers mean less income for states
Tax breaks for tech giants' data centers mean less income for states
https://www.cnbc.com/2025/06/20/tax-breaks-for-tech-giants-data-centers-mean-less-income-for-states.html
Tax Incentives for Data Centers | Data Center Glossary
Tax Incentives for Data Centers | Data Center Glossary
https://www.streamdatacenters.com/resource-library/glossary/tax-incentives-for-data-centers/
BigLaw sees opportunity to support trillion-dollar data centers
BigLaw sees opportunity to support trillion-dollar data centers
https://www.abajournal.com/news/article/biglaw-sees-opportunity-to-support-trillion-dollar-data-centers
‘LIQUID GOLD!’: Trump says Alabama will benefit from New York’s ‘terrible decision’ to ban data centers
‘LIQUID GOLD!’: Trump says Alabama will benefit from New York’s ‘terrible decision’ to ban data centers
https://1819news.com/news/item/liquid-gold-trump-says-alabama-will-benefit-from-new-yorks-terrible-decision-to-ban-data-centers
Congress rejected Pentagon office’s equity power | Semafor
Congress rejected Pentagon office’s equity power | Semafor
https://www.semafor.com/article/09/02/2026/congress-rejected-pentagon-offices-equity-power
Thursday, September 3, 2026
Wednesday, September 2, 2026
Fr. Bob's Reflection for the Twenty-Second Sunday in Ordinary Time - Guest Post
Many years ago, there was a young boy named Eugene Orowitz. He disliked his name and, by most accounts, didn't seem destined for greatness. As a skinny, 100-pound sophomore in high school, he certainly didn't look like an athlete.
One afternoon in gym class, the teacher gathered the students on the track to demonstrate how to throw the javelin. Afterward, he invited the students to give it a try.
When Eugene stepped forward, his classmates laughed. "Can you even lift it?" they teased. "Be careful – you might hurt yourself."
Ignoring their ridicule, Eugene imagined himself as a warrior preparing for battle. He raised the javelin over his head, took six quick steps and let it fly.
The javelin sailed more than 50 feet before crashing into the empty bleachers. His throw traveled twice as far as anyone else's – and hit the metal seats with such force that it bent the javelin beyond repair. The gym teacher simply handed it to Eugene and said, "Take it home. The school can't use it anymore."
That summer, Eugene practiced endlessly. By his senior year, he could throw the javelin 211 feet, farther than any high school athlete in the country. He earned a scholarship to the University of Southern California and began dreaming of competing in the Olympics.
Then everything changed.
He suffered a severe shoulder injury that tore a ligament beyond repair. His athletic career ended overnight. His scholarship disappeared, and with it, his Olympic dream. It seemed as though years of hard work had been lost in an instant.
After leaving college, Eugene took a job in a warehouse. His story raises a question many of us have asked: Why does God allow suffering? Why do our hopes sometimes seem to crumble?
Jesus offers an answer in today's Gospel: "Whoever loses his life for My sake will find it."
Those words can sound confusing at first. But Jesus is reminding us that when we place our lives – even our disappointments and hardships – in God's hands, He can bring about something greater than we could ever imagine.
That promise isn't only about eternal life. God is also at work here and now, transforming our setbacks into new beginnings, if we allow Him.
While working in that warehouse, Eugene met a struggling actor who asked him to help rehearse some lines. The experience sparked an interest in acting, and Eugene enrolled in acting school.
Before long, he landed the role of "Little Joe" Cartwright on “Bonanza,” one of television's most beloved westerns. The series ran for 14 years. He later starred in another television classic, “Little House on the Prairie.”
By then, Eugene Orowitz had become known to the world as Michael Landon.
Before his death in 1991, Landon said the best thing that ever happened to him was tearing the ligament in his shoulder. What had seemed like the end of his dreams became the beginning of a life far richer than the one he had planned.
We all experience broken dreams. We all know disappointment, loss and suffering – some more than others.
But today's Gospel reminds us not to lose hope. Trust the Lord. He sees possibilities where we see dead ends. When we surrender our lives to Him, He can transform even our deepest wounds into unexpected blessings.
My friends, sometimes, the hardest thing to do is also the holiest: “To let go ... and let God.”
Yours in Christ,
Fr. Robert Warren, S.A.
Spiritual Director
Tuesday, September 1, 2026
Monday, August 31, 2026
Sunday, August 30, 2026
Biggest Oil Deal in World History + America Controls the Strait of Hormuz + Lake Ontario Is Now Lake America - micheletkearney@gmail.com - Gmail
Biggest Oil Deal in World History + America Controls the Strait of Hormuz + Lake Ontario Is Now Lake America - micheletkearney@gmail.com - Gmail
The White House
WEEKLY BRIEFING
Biggest Oil Deal in World History: U.S. Secures Majority Control of 65 Billion Barrels in Venezuela, America Controls the Strait of Hormuz, U.S. Space Academy Commission Established, and Lake Ontario Renamed Lake America
In a bombshell announcement, President Trump declared that the United States has entered into the biggest oil deal in world history. At his direction, Secretary of State Marco Rubio and Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth — working with Venezuela’s Interim President Delcy Rodriguez and through a partnership with private business — secured majority U.S. control of more than 65 billion barrels of proven oil reserves in Venezuela at no cost to the American taxpayer. The deal more than doubles American oil reserves, greatly increases domestic oil supply, and is projected to substantially lower gas prices for Americans long into the future, while setting Venezuela on a course toward prosperity. The administration called it a Historic Transaction that strengthens the growing relationship between Venezuela and the United States.
On August 28, the White House released a comprehensive accounting of the administration’s naval blockade of the Strait of Hormuz — the world’s most critical oil chokepoint — confirming that the United States, not Iran, controls the passage. Since the blockade’s resumption in July 2026, U.S. forces have cleared Iranian mines from international shipping lanes, turned away 75 vessels attempting to breach the blockade, and facilitated the movement of nearly 1,500 commercial ships carrying 750 million barrels of crude oil — maintaining the free flow of global commerce while cutting off Iran entirely. Zero Iranian oil has been exported through the Strait since the blockade began. Iran is losing approximately $13 billion per month in revenue, triggering a domestic fuel crisis, currency collapse, and cascading inflation inside the Islamic Republic. Gulf oil exports have recovered to two-thirds of pre-operation levels under U.S. protection.
On August 28, President Trump signed an executive order establishing a Presidential Commission to design the United States Space Academy — a new NASA-led federal institution that will prepare the next generation of Americans for careers in space. Modeled after the nation’s military service academies, the Space Academy will combine rigorous technical education with leadership development, preparing graduates for military, civilian, and commercial space enterprise careers. The Commission — chaired by the NASA Administrator — will recommend governance structure, curriculum, service requirements, location, and a pilot program framework. The initiative directly supports the administration’s goal of achieving more than 1,000 annual space launches by 2030.
On August 26, President Trump declared a national emergency to secure the United States bulk-power system from foreign sabotage, invoking the International Emergency Economic Powers Act. The executive order cites foreign actors creating and exploiting cybersecurity vulnerabilities across the nation’s electricity infrastructure — threatening national defense, emergency services, and economic stability. The order generally prohibits foreign-produced bulk-power equipment and associated software, directing the Secretary of Energy to publish implementing rules. A prior complementary order preserved an estimated 17,000 megawatts of generating capacity — enough to power 12.75 million American homes.
Also on August 26, President Trump signed a proclamation to temporarily expand lean beef trimmings imports at lower tariff rates to reduce ground beef prices amid supply shortages. The 90-day measure — effective September 1 — caps imports at 100,000 tons per month of lean beef trimmings to be combined with domestic U.S. beef, and is projected to increase the overall beef supply by roughly 10%. American cattle herds are at their lowest level in 75 years, driven by drought conditions, wildfire-related feed shortages, and live animal import restrictions imposed to prevent New World Screwworm spread.
Immigration enforcement reached new heights. ICE made nearly 50,000 arrests in July — the highest monthly total of President Trump’s second term — as maximum enforcement operations continue to accelerate. Southern border apprehensions have fallen 94% below Biden-era monthly averages with 15 straight months of zero releases. The State Department is moving forward with what officials describe as the largest mass visa revocation in American history, targeting up to 200,000 foreign nationals. And in a sweeping terror action, the State Department publicly revealed that Portland Antifa groups have direct connections to Hamas and Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps, triggering a broad terrorism designation action against the network.
The General Services Administration disclosed more than $13 billion in suspected fraud involving approximately 1,000 federal contractors — a sweeping audit uncovering waste and deliberate deception on a historic scale. President Trump visited Texas, where his second-term results are dramatic: violent crime is down 13%, border apprehensions near zero, no overtime taxes on approximately 25% of Texas workers, and average tax refunds reached $4,344 — second highest in the nation. Treasury Secretary Bessent warned that an “economic D-Day is coming for Iran,” as Operation Economic Outcast sanctions target Iranian military procurement and petroleum traders.
On August 27, President Trump signed an executive order renaming Lake Ontario to Lake America, directing the Secretary of the Interior to update all federal references within 30 days. The order notes that the United States supplies 9 of the 11 icebreaking vessels on the Great Lakes and has invested nearly $4 billion in the Great Lakes ecosystem over the past decade. Also on August 27, Karoline Leavitt completed her final day as the 36th White House Press Secretary — the youngest person ever to hold the position. President Trump called her “one of the best” ever to serve in the role, honoring her historic tenure and unwavering defense of the administration’s agenda.
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