How many times has Pope Francis trolled this video?

Francis, looking for new talent

I've had a great time sitting here sipping coffee and thinking of captions for the video below. Here are some:

"Pope Francis trolls YouTube looking for his next Cardinal appointee."

"Sorry, Francis. He cannot be a new Cardinal. He's already in jail."

"Pope thinking: Fraudulent tax return?! I've found Libero Milone's replacement as the Vatican Bank Auditor!"

Civil War Causes - Follow the Money: The Tariff Battles

The battle over tariffs played a major role in
regional antagonism culminating in the Civil War, 

Everyone has heard the old adage, “Follow the money,” which recognizes the major impact economic issues play in any dispute.  And the Bible itself warns that “Love of money is the root of all evils.” It also played a large role in the Civil War. Eli Whitney’s invention of the cotton gin made slavery more economically desirable for the cotton planters because cotton could be processed more easily and required many pickers to feed the gin. And cotton was indeed “king” economically accounting for more than 50% of U.S. exports at the time. Since  importing slaves was banned by federal law in 1808, one result of the cotton gin was the transfer of slaves from the northern Dixie states to plantations in the deep South. 

Please Pray for Another Victim of the Organ Donation Cabal

Taquisha and her daughter.
Pray for this mom and her family!

I received the following email today asking for prayers for Taquisha McKitty whose life is in danger. Don't make the same mistake Taquisha did by signing an organ donor card!

Pray Dr. Byrne is granted by the court to be an “expert witness” on behalf of 27 year-old Taquisha McKitty and her family to protect and preserve her life:

“If he is granted expert status, he will be able to advise a physician licensed in Ontario to provide McKitty with treatment.”

Austin Ruse Takes on Fr. James Martin and Co. and Pegs it Again!

James Martin SJ Thinks You’re a Nazi

Who are the real hatemongers? Fr. James Martin and his cheering section. Think about it. Whenever anyone criticizes Martin's enthusiasm for mortal sins of deviant sex, he responds with a hate-filled, name-calling screed. And his echo chamber on the Catholic left (and even a few on the right) join the chorus. Here's a bit of Ruse's article worth highlighting:

Fr. James Schall Understands Islam...

...and unless we do too, we will continue to be vulnerable to international jihad by both violent means and by immigration and birth. Islam came close to taking over Europe in the middle ages. Today it is rising again and Europe is on the verge of becoming an Islamic continent. Let us not allow it to happen here in America!

Why I believe in Islam

What will Pope Francis do about Rohingyas in Myanmar?

Pope Francis will make an Apostolic Journey to Myanmar from November 27-30 and to Bangladesh from November 30 to December 2, 2017. While there he will more than likely tell Aung San Suu Kyi, who is akin to Prime Minister, not the leader of Myanmar, what to do about the Rohingya, who are Muslims. His advice will be exactly what it is back in Italy. "Make it as easy as possible to have migrants and refugees cross your borders legally. Let them have citizenship and equal rights with all other citizens. Give them benefits and the right to vote."

The Vatican Radio website says the following: "The logo for his visit to Myanmar depicts Pope Francis releasing a white dove from within a heart drawn in the colors of Myanmar’s flag: yellow, green, and red. An outline [in rainbow colors] of 
Myanmar’s landmass sits beside the Pope within the heart, while the motto for his journey is shown above: Love & Peace.

I Didn't Feel Welcome at This Brewery So We Went Elsewhere!

Might as well have a sign saying
Christians not welcome here!

My husband and I decided we'd visit a brewery today and try a flight with a snack. We found one advertised on Trip Advisor in Watkins Glen right down the street from the state park where we'd hiked. Trouble is...when we got to the place there was a large gay flag out front. 

Catholics are called homophobic hate-mongers for daring to say that acting on disordered sexual attractions is sinful. So when I see the gay flag celebrating  sodomy outside an establishment, I know that I and my beliefs are not welcome there. Oh...they will no doubt happily take my money as long as I keep my mouth shut. But what if I'm wearing a pro-life T-shirt or one that says "straight pride?" What kind of reaction do you think I'd get?

So we skipped it. 

Instead we stopped at the Chamber of Commerce in town and picked up a list of breweries along the Seneca Lake wine/brewery trail. What a ride! The lake views are breathtaking!

The Republic: In the Beginning...

To understand the Civil War, one must go back to the founding of the Republic. It’s easy to get the idea that all was well in those early years before, during, and after the American Revolution – that the individual states were united in their desire to be liberated from England and that all the colonies and the citizens were of one mind.

They weren’t.

First of all only, about twenty percent of the country wanted to separate from England in the first place. Many Tories fled to Canada never to return. Even after England sued for peace and the colonies united in forming the United States of America, there were significant disagreements about the form of government to be established.

Some of the founders wanted a strong centralized government. Others wanted the documents to emphasize the sovereignty of the individual states and the primacy of states rights and to severely limit the powers of the federal government. The deep disagreements led to the publication of the Federalist Papers advocating for a strong central government ruling over the states and the Anti-Federalist Papers that championed the rights of the individual states and the people against what they feared could become another tyrannical government like the monarchy of England.

Where Does The Church Stand on the Question of Capital Punishment? Tradition May Surprise You

Amy Barrett, Catholic nominee for Federal Court Judge

and Al Franken, Democrat Senator

Amy Coney Barrett, a widely published professor of law at the University of Notre Dame has been nominated by President Donald Trump for the 7th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals and was featured in an article published by the National Catholic Register on September 22.  A Senate hearing was held and several liberal Senators including Al Franken and Diane Feinstein gave her a brutal grilling.  The You Tube video of the Franken exchange is particularly disgusting.  

The Catholic Register article referred to an article Barrett wrote years ago as the subject of Feinstein’s questions, stating,    

“…it was Feinstein who mischaracterized the article’s conclusion, thus raising questions about Barrett’s fitness for the appellate bench.   Truth be told, the 1998 law review article in question, co-authored by Catholic constitutional scholar John Garvey, now the president of The Catholic University of America, reached a very different conclusion about the religious and professional responsibilities of Catholic jurists on the federal bench.  In their paper, Barrett and Garvey posed this question: Must judges who accept Church teaching on capital punishment recuse themselves in federal death-penalty cases? After exploring this question, the authors concluded that such cases were far from common, and when they did arise, Catholic judges should recuse themselves if necessary.” (My emphasis added.)

Really? At a State Park Visitors Center?

...Because we all know that the LGBTQ crowd are being attacked at visitors centers all over the country. But thank heavens! They have a safe space here at Taughannock Falls State Park. 

It appears we are in the politically correct capitol of rural New York. I was browsing through the booklet advertising tourist activities for Ithaca, NY last night and came across the section on LGBTQ activities. Mind you, there is no section on churches in the area. If you are among the church going public, you are on your own. Hopefully the park offers Teddy bears and coloring books for their "gay" patrons.

I am deeply offended and feel unwelcome. Do you think anybody cares. Oh...that's right...I'm just one of those evil, homophobic bigots who deserves (use your imagination). Oh well.

A question: How come a group that represents less than three percent of the population is in our faces all the time? Can't they just do their own thing and leave us alone? 

It's called "jamming," folks.