There have been, from some quarters, attempts to defend Trump’s recent travel ban on the grounds of his promise to give preferential admission to the USA to Christian refugees. (Factually, they are targeted the same by the policy as written and as currently implemented- read all about it.) This is abhorrent- even assuming that this promise refers to some future state of affairs and not merely another alt-fact. (Evidence-free is the new fat free!) It is abhorrent not only for... Read more
It’s very important to have friends who will help you fill in the parts of your education you’ve missed by being raised on the Planet Charismatic. I know I’m grateful to mine. This morning, I started to get a very small fit of the scruples. Most people raised in spiritually abusive homes are subject to this sort of thing. I start every morning on edge at the best of times, and the past eight days haven’t been good for anybody’s equilibrium. As... Read more
We got so caught up in the flurry of politics yesterday, I forgot it was the feast of Saint Thomas Aquinas, and my husband’s baptism anniversary. Of course, no one at Michael’s baptism knew that it was the feast of Saint Thomas Aquinas. Michael Christopher, who went by Chris back then, was baptized at a Lutheran church in a small town in Missouri. His mother was a Baptist, raised in a good Baptist home by a Baptist deacon. No drinking, no... Read more
The United States Conference of Catholic Bishops just released the following statement on their Facebook page, which I quote in its entirety: USCCB Committee on Migration Chair Strongly Opposes Executive Order Because It Harms Vulnerable Refugee and Immigrant Families January 27, 2017 Regarding the Executive Order’s halt and reduction of admissions, Bishop Joe S. Vasquez of Austin, Texas, chairman of the Committee on Migration, stated: -We strongly disagree with the Executive Order’s halting refugee admissions. We believe that now more... Read more
Yesterday, on Holocaust Remembrance Day, the same day Vice-President Pence told the March for Life demonstrators that “life is winning in America,” President Donald Trump issued an executive order banning the entry of refugees to the United States for four months, banning refugees from Syria indefinitely, and barring all people from Iraq, Syria, Iran, Libya, Somalia, Sudan and Yemen for ninety days. The president did not ban people from the Democratic Republic of the Congo, the Central African Republic, South Sudan, Colombia or Venezuela– even though, as... Read more
There are too many ugly things in the world right now. We shouldn’t ignore them, but we mustn’t ignore the beautiful either. Let’s take a moment to think about something truly beautiful and innocent. Let’s think about ducks. My friend Emma posted the loveliest status today. She gave me permission to post it: You simply cannot beat a bird-book for comfort in troubled times. Look up ‘Mallard’ in the incomparable ‘Field Guide to Birds’ by Dr Walter Cerny, translated by Margot Schierlova... Read more
I am told that Mike Pence is the first vice president to speak at the March for Life. Well, good for him. I am also against abortion. It’s good to find some middle ground with someone who seems so different. I hope he’s serious about being pro-life and truly pro-life, rather than just throwing a bone to the people who voted for him. If only defending life were as simple as a march and a rally, saying the right words... Read more
As I reported yesterday, the USCCB wasted no time condemning President Trump’s executive order to go ahead with the border wall, prisons and deportations he’d promised during the election. What they didn’t mention was a paragraph included in that order, which has just now come to my attention. Here it is: To better inform the public regarding the public safety threats associated with sanctuary jurisdictions, the secretary shall utilize the Declined Detainer Outcome Report or its equivalent and, on a... Read more
Earlier this evening, the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops posted a link to the following statement on President Trump’s executive orders regarding deportations and a border wall, which I quote in its entirety: WASHINGTON—President Donald J Trump today issued executive orders to construct a wall at the U.S./Mexico border, to significantly increase immigrant detention and deportation, and to disregard/preempt/overrule the judgment of state and local law enforcement on how best to protect their communities. The U.S. /Mexico border, spanning approximately 2000... Read more
I’m back with a few more items here. It was pointed out last night that Donald Trump’s famous tweets are still coming from his Android, which we last heard he gave up for security reasons five days ago. Today, news sources are confirming that he still has that android. You know, a private and unsecured phone. It has also been confirmed that Kellyanne Conway, Jared Kushner, Sean Spicer and Steve Bannon all have active email accounts on an RNC email system. The one... Read more
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