Putin is a mad man and spiraling out of control and Europe is being made to suffer. There is no strong support for Ukraine from the USA and NATO and others. They light up their buildings with the colors of the the Ukrainian flag thinking that shows solidarity. Absurdity in action.
The fuse is lighted and Europe will fall and maybe the USA.
And they think talking mean to a mad man will stop him, placate him. We have a Stalin in our midst and more must be done.
An elderly weak president with the onslaught of dementia, a shallow Vice President, still virtue signaling by hiding behind her mask, who doesn’t know which way is up and a Speaker of the House, herself in her 80’s and a divisive figure. O my.
And the Prime Minister of Great Britain tells the Ukraine the world is united in horror at what is happening to the Ukraine. I am sure that makes the Ukrainians feel good that their actual horror is matched by his and our mental horror.
And Climate change in their opinion is the the greatest threat to humanity. Not Abortion, not Putin.
And the greatest threat to the Latin Rite and Eastern Rite Churches isn’t the Ancient Lex Orandi and its liturgical books of the Latin Rite Church.
78 comments:
Confirming that modern “liberalism” is a mental disorder. The crazies in the national media are trying to blame another
Just confirming that modern “liberalism” is a mental disorder
Please delete first two lines
CNN is ultimately a news source. While inevitably opinion will seep through, who really gives a tinker’s damn what “CNN” or “News Corp” “thinks” or what its opinion is. They are all just businesses and they are not possessed of any principle except profit. If you think investors invest for politics, then YOU who believes that are the fool. My goodness, even Microsoft and Shell Oil are “aghast” at this war.
For crying out loud! These organizations are not physical people and they, Fox included, do not have morals, consciences or opinions of their own.
I know we like a broad view of personhood here in The Church, but we aren’t apt to baptize Exxon.
Father McDonald,
Here is an article I think you will find interesting about the political left:
https://townhall.com/columnists/victordavishanson/2022/02/24/why-is-the-left-suddenly-worried-about-the-end-of-democracy-n2603696
But no mean tweets
Unknown,
A small price to pay to continue abortion on demand, teaching transgenderism to little children, over-run borders, Blacks and Hispanics no longer enjoying their lowest unemployment rates in history, and record high gas prices which will "help" the poor!!
I don't really think Putin is a "mad man". He's a former operative, strategist, now president, and one of the richest men in the world, actually. I think he's nothing but calculating, wants to rebuild the country he knew and is capitalizing, principally, on our weakness to do it. Waiting for the Chinese and maybe the Iranians to do something to test the waters as well. Biden was never up to the job, Harris is symbolic at best and Congress is beyond redemption partisan to do other than war against each other mostly about "great society" matters and accomplish little as a result. We are so laser focused yet, failing miserably on progressive matters that the rest of the world does not, it actually makes sense that someone would say "let's see what happens. they likely won't do anything". It's also likely that we're no where near done being tested by our adversaries and as a result of that testing, in a flash the balance of power and peace could be changed. This won't just effect us at the gas pump, I'm afraid.
ByzRus,
I agree with your analysis about Putin. I just saw a clip of Biden from 2019 in which he said things will go badly in the Ukraine if President Trump were re-elected. I doubt his media cheerleaders at the Networks will replay that howler. Trump was right about the fact that the national media is the enemy of the American people, in spades. Many people forget that the media actually drove Biden out of a couple of presidential primaries in past elections by exposing his lies and plagiarism. Conveniently they forgot about his past in 2020. Abortion uber alles!
Back in 1982 I wrote my MA dissertation (Dept of War Studies, King's College London) on the Ukrainian Insurgent Army (UPA) which during the Second World War fought the Germans, the Soviets and the Poles, and carried on the struggle against the Soviet Union until 1953, despite large-scale military campaigns to 'pacify' Ukraine, organized by Nikita Khrushchev and carried out ruthlessly.
As seen in statements yesterday by Putin and his foreign minister, Moscow still equates Ukrainian nationalism with Nazism, which was the aim of their disinformation campain in the 1940s and 1950. Disinformation does not just mean telling lies, or even rewriting history. It involves an immense and sophisticated operation to rewrite or manufacture historical sources themselves, and the Soviets were past masters at this.
As a result, it is very difficult to establish the truth about events which took place within living memory, and even reputable historians can be misled by contaminated sources.
Putin's Russia, unlike the USSR, is no superpower, either economically or militarily; it might defeat the Ukrainian defence forces but cannot hold down the whole country. Although authoritarian it is not totalitarian, and Russian public opinion could well turn against Putin should the war go badly.
As for NATO, perhaps it was a mistake to expand eastwards. It was set up in 1949 in the interests of 'containing' the Soviet Union - is Putin entirely wrong to see it as intrinsically anti-Russian?
John I appreciate your commentary. Others have questioned my assertion that Putin is spiraling in terms of his mental health. I heard another CNN interview where the one interviewed said as much again, that the man is melting down before our eyes in terms of his mental health and what he is capable of as a KGB operative.
But the same interviewee on CNN no less, decried that the USA and others did not at least give more weapons to the Ukrainians to use, not personnel, but weapons. He said that weapons were given to Georgia when Russia invaded it and the war there was short lived and Russia withdrew.
I think too, we in the USA and those at least my age and a bit younger, still feel that Russia is the evil empire looking to destroy capitalist USA. And they still have nuclear weapons aimed here that can do it. One nuclear strike on either Washington, DC or New York City or both and its all over for the USA although there would indeed be fighting in the streets by armed citizens if Russians came here.
Hopefully, behind the scenes there is a plan to arm Ukraine and sent weapons there and quickly. Who knows?
Also, I wonder why there isn’t a covert operation to take out Putin himself. Certainly that could be possible. What impact would that have?
Unlike the sniveling cowards hiding in Delaware and Martha’s Vineyard, here is a real man and leader’s response to America’s recent off of “help:”
A FRIEND MESSAGES: “Can we trade Biden for Zalensky? I know nothing about the president of Ukraine other than he speaks in coherent sentences, is brave, and cares for his country. All qualities that would make for a vast improvement
Related: “Do presidents matter? Why, yes, they do.”
Zelensky’s comment when the U.S. offered to get him out of Ukraine? “I need ammunition, not a ride.”
SMERGONISH ON CCD JUST LAMBASTED PRESIDENT BIDEN AND USING FOX TALKING POINTS…INFLATION, BOTCHED AFGANISTAN WITHDRAWAL, IMPOTENCE AND INEPTITUDE CONCERNING RUSSIA AND UKRAINE. EVEN CNN IS CONCERNED! THAT SAYS SOMETHING!
It is dangerous to operate from the perspective that Putin is ‘mad’. He is operating successfully within a separate world construct. Popular support in Russia or subjugated republics can be handled through severe suppression or even annihilation of the opposition. Putin’s new BFF, Xi Jinping, is at least as willing, adept, and supportive of this sort of action as any Russian has ever been. They are not mad but want these things because human life, truth, history, economic prosperity and anything we might call ‘good’ is expendable for power. The Soviet Union *was* an evil empire because what they did was acceptable in their value system. By contrast, and primary distinction, Western countries who do the same things can be, and are, judged as bad within their own values. Not so Putin or Xi. They like and desire the evil of the previous rulers and want it back. They are not innocent by reason of insanity. They are evil by choice and hard work.
Nor is Russia to be treated lightly. We risk dismissing their capacity for delivering evil to the rest of the world by calling Putin mad. Nuclear weapons and malware are very serious and elevate anyone to a position of respect no matter what else we think of them.
On 17 January the UK started supplying Ukraine with NLAW, an Anglo-Swedish light anti-armour weapon with a range of 20 - 800 metres, ideal for deployment in built-up areas. Several sorties by RAF C-17 aircraft were flown from Brize Norton to Kiev, along with training personnel; by 19 January several thousand NLAW had been delivered.
Germany had declared an embargo on arms shipments to Ukraine, so the C-17s were routed around German airspace.
Volodymyr Zalensky is a former actor and comedian. He won't be the first ex-actor president to face down the Russian bear ...
After saying he would not have time to play golf, Trump hid out on golf courses more than 150 times during his presidency, costing taxpayers more than $144 Million dollars.
Oh, and his four trips alone to Mar-al-Lago between Feb 3 and March 5, 2017, cost you and me $13.6 Million.
But, he's for the "little guys."
Who cares about that FrMJK, under Biden, there is disaster after disaster, Afghanistan bloody withdrawal and return to the subjugation of women; horrible inflation due to his policies and spending, creeping dementia, unable to deal with Putin or do anything to thwart the slow motion subjugation of Ukraine at the cost of countless lives including innocent men, women and children. This current president and whoever is propping him up have blood on their hands.But go ahead, eat your crumpets, drink your tea and think that climate change and our ability to change acts of God are the way to go. But the slaughter of innocents in the womb, Afghanistan and Ukraine, don't be disturbed my soul, Trump was a rich adulterer and financially corrupt. That's what we should worry about.
You are a caricature of all that is wrong with liberalism.
Don't waste your time talking to Fr. MJK, Fr. McDonald. He is not interested in dialogue or anything else. Like most other people with his problem, his ego can't get beyond having to "win".
Fr. MJK,
Often, I find myself both understanding and appreciating your viewpoints on liturgy and theology. Here, I have to confess that I'm at a loss. What are you hoping to accomplish with "tit-for-tat"?
I don't want to lecture you, but, I would hope we can agree that regarding the current administration, there's a problem and we are now being tested as a result. I would hope that we could also agree that positions, actions (and, lord have mercy, inactions) have caused economic hardship - particularly for the little guy - that was not part of the prior administration. True, Trump was an arrogant blowhard, however, we were making and KEEPING our money and our position throughout the world, though not admired was at least kinda respected.
The last time I checked, being wealthy was not a sin. Nor is it illegal. Nor does it automatically mean that one cannot be concerned about the poor. JFK was one of the richest presidents we've ever had, but I've never heard a liberal vilify him for his luxurious hobbies or wealth. In fact, JFK actually enacted a (gasp!) tax cut.
I can look at just about every president of my lifetime and find good things they did and failures in their administrations. This especially holds true of presidents I voted against. I have been a Democrat. I have been a Republican. One of these two parties seems to have forgotten the most important membership, however: We all have to be AMERICANS first. That means there has to be a higher value to public service than an obsessive focus on winning elections and exerting power to the exclusion of all else. I'll let the readers guess which party forgot about that.
All that aside, Donald Trump is vain, vulgar, tendentious, annoying and shoots from the hip, often unprudentially. He is known to be crass and insulting to others. This probably reflects something deeper: It is very likely that he doesn't care what other people think.
He is also the one president who kept MORE campaigh promises than any other president of my lifetime. He is also the one president who did more to try to reduce abortion than any president in my lifetime--even if he may have fathered aborted children himself or paid for abortions himself, he exerted the public policy pulpit to a bigger picture. He is the ONLY president of my lifetime to DARE to call out globalism for what it is. He is the only president of my lifetime who actually IMPOSED policies that brought us to energy independence. One campaign promise that particularly stand out RIGHT NOW was his promised to keep us out of a bunch of stupid wars. His curbing of illegal immigration also FINALLY brought us an economy that saw wages rise. Imagine that?
I can't think of any recent presidents who didn't play golf too much. So Trump is a billionaire? Good for him. 80 percent of the morons in Washington making decisions about our lives have never had to meet payroll. He has.
So a whole lot of sensitive, effeminate, bed-wetters can't get over their dislike of his personality. Frankly, I'm not losing any sleep over that. After four years of having this loser leading us, a whole lot more Americans aren't going to care about Trump's personal faults either. They'll want someone who helps them--even if he DOES play a lot of golf and luxuriate at his own resort.
Fr. ALLAN McDonald, Anyone who does not care that a president (or other major public figure) is an habitual liar who cares not a whit for the conswequences of his untruthfulness ought not be allowed to vote. The same goes for those who don't care that he bragged about sexually assaulting a married woman.
Anyone who thinks that a president has control over inflation ought not be allowed to vote.
Anyone who thinks that, 5 days into an invasion, the final solution to that aggression should have been implemented in a US president ought no be allowed to vote.
Anyone who thinks that the human caused climate change we are experiencing is an "act of God" ought not be allowed to vote.
What did Trump do to end our presence in Afghanistan? He pledged to do so in February 2020, even had his delegate sign a pact with the Taliban. But...nothing. Why? It was a ruse to get votes, another of his unending string on dishonesties.
Byz - As for "our standing" in the world under the Trump administration, please consult any number of reports from the people and leaders of other nations who ridiculed Trump and his leadership from start to finish. Don't go by what any American media says, go by what the leaders and people of other nations said.
Thomas, Trump said he would not have time for golf, making that a jab against his opponents. It was just another of his lies - but that's OK with you because other's "played too much golf." His personality, amoral, self-centered, dismissive of others, transactional, is exactly why he was the wrong man for the job.
Now is not the time to get distracted by political BS. It will mean more if we can support the President in this situation despite our other differences than being right on any number of other topics. It is very likely that Taiwan is next with potentially other parts of Asia, east and west. The rest of Europe is at risk in 2-4 years if we are weak at this moment. It is too much to hope for the President to have an epiphany and align to my political thought. But if he can be given alternatives to help our country and allies I do not care who gets credit.
If those who don't care whether the person they elect is an habitual liar who cares not a whit for the consequences of his untruthfulness should be disfranchised, this needs to be applied to the College of Cardinals.
Furthermore, it is not overly cynical to observe that of all the attributes which go to the making of a great statesman, unswerving adherence to the truth is not one of them.
I watched many hours of FOX News yesterday after watching CNN and MSNBC the previous two days. Crickets on FOX, and among almost all Republicans, about Trump’s scandalous comments about Putin and the invasion. I wonder why.
This said, John Nolan asks an excellent question at the end of his post at 7:35 a.m., as those familiar with geography and history will readily appreciate. Let us pray for a negotiated solution, central to which will be Ukrainian neutrality.
I should have added—also watched the BBC World News on all three days as well.
A couple of people here have made remarks about habitual liars being unfit to be president.
Sounds nice, but it presents a problem. Can anyone think of a recent president who WASN'T a liar?
And for all the sactimonious, talk that Trump was unfit to be president--would that suggest that the current occupant is MORE fit to be president than Trump? Is failure more important than success to America?
Well, I can think of at least one public figure who would boldly proclaim Biden a success--in fact, she did recently: Barbra Streisand.
Why does it not surprise me who here agrees with THAT particular celebrity?
Mark you may have missed a replay of a 2019 press clip from Biden stating if Trump were re-elected the Ukraine would be in big trouble. Your highly selective “news” sources probably did not carry that!
Since we have devolved to making proclamations about who should or should not be allowed to vote, so will I:
Dead people should not be allowed to vote.
Convicted felons should not be allowed to vote--ever.
People who have voted ONCE in an election should only get one vote.
People who cannot provide a legitimate photo identification should not be allowed to vote.
Votes that cannot be traced through a legitimate chain of custody should not be allowed to vote.
Partisans who will not permit observers to watch them count votes don't deserve the right to vote.
Imagine how different our economy and foreign policy would be right now if THOSE rules had been followed in the 2020 election?
As you all know by now Fr K suffers from an advanced case of TDS so he is unable to process the followin:
1) under Trump, his policies created over 500,000 manufacturing jobs, Obama lost over 200,000 and said they were not coming back
2) Blacks and Hispanics enjoyed their lowest unemployment rates ever
3) somehow none of that helps the little guy
4) Trump donated his salary to charities but Obama held onto his and somehow managed to acquire 3 mansions in DC, Martha’s Vineyard and Hawaii, the latter two in defiance of the Global Warming Religion as they should be under water in the near future.
5) Obama played around 44 rounds of golf a year which probably is close to his former constituents on the south side of Chicago, where he is rarely seen today. He obviously prefers celebrities and other swells, in stark contrast to Harry Truman when he left office and went back to his old neighborhood in Independence, living in his wife’s family home
Father K must be suffering from selective amnesia because he seems to forget Democratic presidential lies:
1) I did not have sex with that woman - Bill Clinton
2) If you like your doctor you can keep your doctor and my plan will save you $2500 a year - Obama
3) I was top of my law school class - Biden
In fact in the days when the press was still attempting to be factual they drove Biden out of 2 presidential primaries for lying and plagiarism
Priests should be more honest than you are
TJM:
But Donald didn't talk nice to women! He was disrespectful and crude in his speech!
Don't you know that that's more important than American jobs? Don't you understand that appeasing a bunch of deranged feminists and environmentalists is more important than feeding your children and paying the mortgage?
Don't you understand, can't you get it that shutting up all opposition to the globalist reset is more important than our basic right of free speech?
What is wrong with you?
John Nolan,
I think there is a problem with Richard Moore of M16. It is reported in a tweet of his that what makes us better than Putin is Britain's respect for the freedoms of the LGBT Community, or words to that effect. What would 007 have to say? Will that be comforting to the Ukraine people in their hour of need? Of course our very own, Monsieur John Kerry is fretting that he hopes this Russian invasion will not interfere with Russia coooperating with the war on Climate Change?
Lots of chatters, but no one, including Fr. ALLAN McDonald, has told me where I can find the lever that Biden uses to raise and/or lower inflation... Or the one he uses to adjust gasoline prices.
Regarding felons, only 8 states ban convicted felons from voting permanently (AZ, FL, WY, IA, KY, TN, MS. AL). Happily, here in Georgia, a felon's right to vote is restored after prison, parole, and probation.). And in several of those changes are being sought in the state legislators. In the other 42 states, felons can vote after completing their terms of incarceration, and/or their parole, and/or probation. Maine, Vermont, and the D of C allow felons to vote while in prison.
Goodness! Go do your homework and report back to us. Hint to help you: all the executive orders signed by Biden on his first day in office to overturn Trump’s economic policies and other policies on energy, etc. that is a hugeeeee clue for you.
Father McDonald,
Also Father K, like Mark Thomas, NEVER addresses inconvenient facts that undermine his delusional view of the Democratic Party and its minions. He simply ignores him. You are correct, on day one, Biden issued an executive order to shut down the pipeline construction between the US and Canada, throwing hundreds of union workers out of a job, and sending the markets a signal that this administration would be very anti-fossil fuel, and gas prices began to climb. Biden also has put a moratorium on oil leases on federal lands and off shore. That also limits supply. Rising fuel prices has caused this nasty round of inflation, just like it did in the 1970s. The Canadians in retaliation stopped sending us lumber, causing lumber prices in the US to climb. These consequences harm the little guy but since Father K appears to be an ecomomics novice, he does not get that.
It has had serious geopolitical consequences as we are seeing now in the Ukraine. Our evil, corrupt national media, refuses to see the connection between high fuel prices and Putin's actions and that if anyone has made Russia great again and given it the economic means to wage war it is Biden's policies, not President Trump's. That same evil, corrupt media refuses to report on the Durham Report findings to date which give a very strong indication that the Democratic Party is utterly corrupt and used the levers of government to spy on a presidential candidate and then sitting president. The media beat that fake tom tom for 4 years but refuses to report this. The only way to fight back is to vote Republican and NOT buy or watch any of their shoddy, biased products, that only committed leftists trust. I did see a poll that said 62 percent of Americans, including 38 percent of Democrats, believe that Putin would not have invaded the Ukraine if Trump were still president. Democrat lefists truly reside in a fantasy world of their own. Abortion Uber Alles!
Goodness! Now, you might want to explain how those executive orders - repealing the Muslim ban, rejoining the Parish Accords, requiring masks on Executive Department employees, restoring protectiong for the environment, etc.- contributed to inflation.
It's YOUR homework, not mine.
Oh, and don't forget the lever for the gasoline prices.
John Nolan,
Since your memory goes back further than today's DNC talking points, you will enjoy this:
Many here remember the 80's when the media insulted Reagan by using the term "actor turned politician." Two terms as governor, and two terms as president. Seems that actor did pretty well. A journalist who viewed Reagan's personal library in California was shocked and humbled when going through books on philosophy, economics, and history, found Reagan's handwritten notes in the margins.
For you New York Times worshippers, please remember this:
The NYT and its star reporter, Walter Duranty, deliberately, knowingly and maliciously covered up the Kremlin-caused man-made Ukrainian famine of the early '30s which killed millions, the Holodomor. In fact, the NYT denied that a famine was taking place. All to protect their "access" to Soviet sources and Soviet patronage as well as Duranty's privileged place in the expat hierarchy. The NYT has been a willing accessory to the murder and oppression of Ukrainians by Russians (and Marxists) for ninety years.
I doubt its current coverage of Biden's debacle is any more honest
Dems are so honest and ethical, thinking only of the little guy:
On June 28, 2018, the Southern District of New York Court (Case 16-CR-371) convicted three individuals for security fraud. Most noteworthy was Devon Archer, Hunter Biden’s partner in Rosemont-Seneca-Bohai, LLC (“RSB”). The criminal investigation subpoenas obtained the banking and investment records of RSB documenting security fraud. The RSB financial records further revealed substantial payments from the private Ukrainian energy company known as Burisma Holdings Limited to Devon Archer and Hunter Biden.
Devon Archer and Hunter Biden were appointed to the Ukrainian Burisma board two months after the Coup d’état installed U.S. puppet Petro Poroshenko as Ukraine’s President. Not a mere coincidence since Vice President Joe Biden was Obama’s Ukraine point man. Neither Archer or Biden had expertise in oil and gas nor spoke the language. The RSB records revealed that each received $83,333.33 per month as director fees over two years.
Why has the New York Times not covered this?
Back to John Nolan’s comments regarding Putin’s reaction to NATO overtures to Ukraine: One must determine if his reaction is honest or seeking a premise. If Putin’s reaction to someone offering shelter to his dog is to beat it more, then the premise of protection is further validated; the action in Ukraine seems to validate the worst about Putin and the Russian government. I was under the impression that the interest from NATO had more to do with the economic expansion, over-reach?, of the EU than any aggression towards Russia. In fact, the concept of Engagement and Enlargement was also the theme of the Clinton foreign policy, so the idea of engaging the former Eastern Bloc and eventually bringing them into an economic relationship that would serve as a deterrent to military aggression was, and is, very attractive.
However, the large Communist/Socialist countries use economics solely to fuel their military ambitions. The US is precariously close to that these days. So, yes, the reaction of. Putin to discussions between NATO and Ukraine is reasonable if we have an accurate understanding of Putin. I think it was too far, too fast, like the gas/oil pipelines to central Europe. Assumptions were made concerning the various parties involved so as to get a short benefit and the result was vulnerability to Russian natural resources, and European finances.
The next phase of this will be how much autonomy Ukraine will be allowed so that the refugees will be allowed to return home, safely. Or will they be used to destabilize the next echelon of countries from the Old Bloc and help justify their annexation?
Are these strange putterings from the marginal priest posting here somehow suggesting that a president has no influence on foreign or economic policy?
"A lever"?
That has to be the most juvenile, ridiculous "challenge" I've read in some time.
Economic outcomes are just as much a result of what leaders DON'T do as what they actually put into place. Like TG noted, Biden has no experience ever having to make payroll.
He has LOTS of experience tampering with ours.
So, Jerome, will you be able to explain, since it appears that Fr. ALLAN McDonald can't, how Biden's executive orders have led to the inflation we are experiencing?
You needn't get into foreign policy, since that IS a president's purview. Just explain, in ways a "marginal" priest might understand, how those specific policies have had this inflationary result...
Or, ...
Father K,
I laud out the facts out clearly, as have others, but you choose to ignore them. If President Trump were still in office and oil prices rose, you would be the first to denounce him. Be of good cheer, though, Biden is protecting the right to kill the unborn, the most cherished “right” in your Party’s world. So important that Pelosi demanded funding for abortionatoriums during the pandemic
Executive orders alone don't reflect the Walking Corpse's incompetence, but one immediately comes to mind: Killing the Keystone pipeline on his first day in office. Besides the thousands of men who were instantly unemployed, it instantly created a greater dependence and demand for the foreign product, putting us at the mercy of other countries without an ounce of compunction at the idea of gouging us--and OPEC hasn't and isn't raising production. And when the price of oil goes up, THE PRICE OF EVERYTHING GOES UP WITH IT. Goods don't just arrive on their own, they have to be shipped. And it isn't just oil. Coal producers are equally unappreciated by this administration, making the cost of heating one's home unbearable for many. As for me, I have literally NO disposable income to so much as take my kids for a hamburger--it all goes to gasoline now.
But I'm not done. Biden has no problem with the Federal Reserve buying mortgage-backed bonds, that have kept interest rates artificially low (a trend that cannot last) driving up rents and housing prices. But hey! Who needs shelter anyway.
"Build Back Better" is more like B.S.. Another inflated public spending extravaganza that only drives up deficits and will eventuate in the need to raise taxes. ON a personal note, this is the first time in years that I actually OWE the government instead of getting a refund and most of the people I know are making the same complaint. But we don't deserve the money we work for--Joe knows what's best to do with it.
And only a blind person could deny that the ridiculous draconian mandates to demand vaccinations and masks that has cost so many people their jobs--imagine! not wanting to be a guinea pig for a globalist experiment!--only a bind person could deny how that boneheaded policy has driven the shortages that are nationwide, driving up prices even more.
Two things tend to happen in countries, just before they go communist: A surge in death rates and shortages of supplies. We're there.
But don't worry: Regardless of what happens, diocesan priests will still get paid and get 3 square meals a day and housing. They can afford to be elitist liberals. The rest of us have to live in the real world.
In Joe YOU can trust.
Jerome - from TransCanada, the pipeline's developer, via FOXNews: "TransCanada noted that the Keystone XL pipeline would allow the company to drain these reserves (in Canada) and export that fuel as well. According to TransCanada’s own statements, this would raise gas prices in the United States, especially in the Midwest." (That's what corporations do - increase profits.)
Also, same source: "The oil to be sent through Keystone XL pipeline was never destined for US markets. In its own presentation to investors about the proposed pipeline extension, TransCanada (the company behind Keystone XL) boasted that most if not all of the extracted and refined oil would be exported --- sold in overseas markets where oil fetches a higher price (and thus turns a higher profit for the company)."
As for the inflation we are all facing: "Inflation can occur when prices rise due to increases in production costs, such as raw materials and wages. A surge in demand for products and services can cause inflation as consumers are willing to pay more for the product." We have seen wages rise in the last year, and we have seen massive demand for products. Ports were backlogged with, in some places, a 30% increase in imports as Americans went on a spend, spend, spend binge.
As for coal, the number of people employed in that industry has been DECREASING since 1985. In that same period, due to improved technology, production has, in the same period, increased. Coal consumption has been dropping dramatically for the production of electricity and industrial uses since 2005. These trends came LONG before the Biden administration.
Also, the President does not control the Federal Reserve and its decisions.
As for our taxes - I pay them too - those are the dues we pay for belonging to the club. If you want better roads and bridges, if you want public water systems that don't poison people with lead, of you want police and fire protection, if you want children to be educated and teachers to get a just salary, we pay for it. Costs go up, taxes go up.
I won't even comment on the absurdity of your pandemic rant other than to say that the folks who balked at the necessary precautions contributed to the continuance of the pandemic, the rise of variants, and the on-going hardships.
If you want your priests to live on the economy and live in the "real world," your tithing has to double. That's right, double. Today.
The oil from Canada was destined for the world market. By increasing the supply of oil the average total price goes down. Different grades of oil are purchased for different uses by different buyers. But the average price goes down because substitutes are not needed reducing price competition for alternative grades. The production of US domestic sources was also reduced so the total contribution to the global oil market was less making prices higher.
The president can greatly influence the Fed and interest rates through policy. It was inevitable the QE would have an inflationary effect as would the COVID payments, essentially welfare, because they were not liked to production of any sort. Wages and prices in general have been suppressed since 2009 so there is a lot of catching up to do. One response could be to adjust the money supply. But that could have the unintended effect of accelerating inflation.
Supply Chain issues are different than production issues. The COVID response, a policy of the President, slowed the supply chain at critical points while production was affected to a lesser extent. That’s why the docks were backlogged for offload. But this rippled back to the production sites resulting in deflationary effects.
There is a natural desire to have a simple answer for major problems. But in a healthy economy, this is not always the case.
Father K,
Your sophistry is not working, you are an economic illiterate and reality denier, yet always good for a laugh.
Father K,
The pandemic has been politicized by the party of death from the gitgo. Here are a few reminders since your memory appears to be failing:
1) President Trump shut down flights and was called a “racist” on Chuck Schumer’s website. Schumer took that statement down when it appeared to be the prudent course.
2) when the initial shutdowns occurred Pelosi encouraged the people of San Francisco to party on as did DeBlasio in New York to “stick it to the man!”
3) Kamala Harris said publicly she would not take a vaccine created through the efforts of the Trump Administration’s efforts
4) Rioters in the BLM movement were not required to wear masks in Democratic controlled cities but people could not attend Mass even with masks.
5) Routine flouting of the mask mandate by those requiring them a la Gov Newsome, but there are manner others
I could go on but even you should be able to grasp how craven your Party is. After all they say abortion is “healthcare!”
Have any of you thought at all about how scandalous and unseemly it is for reverend clergy to air this political stuff in public. I have no idea why Father Kavanaugh engages the RUDE people commenting here, but even more surprising is that Father McDonald hosts such discussions. The Diocese of Savannah and indeed the whole Church would benefit, Fathers and the rest of you, if you all stop the public bickering. Priests of the Living God need to do better. Father Kavanaugh was chosen by God to be His priest and so was Father McDonald. And neither one was chosen to fuss and fight like children over politics. And if you say it’s all in “good fun” and collegiality, I remind you that your lives vocations are to preach the gospel, administer the sacraments and save souls. Does your public argument serve any of those ends?
Father Kavanaugh? Father McDonald?
Grow up.
James E Dangerfield,
I disagree with you. Father K is doing us a huge service here by showing us the extent of the spiritual and intellectual rot in the Catholic clergy. Based on his comments, I know I would never attend his parish nor give it any money.
What a dilemma: Dangerfield and TJM: I agree with you both!
If anything, part of what apalls me on a reguaar basis is the willingness of a priest to way such things in a public venue. Something seriously bad has happened
Unfortunately, priests discussing politics goes way back. Some Irish priests said some horrid things back 1916. And there were some that were merely partisan, such as the lyrics to ‘Foggy Dew’. The priest of my hometown parish, Fr. Abram Ryan, and namesake of the local high school, was considered poet laureate of the Confederacy. He also understood when it was over and moved on, described in poignant verse. I think that was at least partially the result of open dialogue and *civil* discussion.
Yes, Fr. Ryan was assistant pastor of my parish in Augusta!
"Kamala Harris said publicly she would not take a vaccine created through the efforts of the Trump Administration’s efforts"
Nope, she didn't say that.
Questioner: "For life to get back to normal Dr. Anthony Fauci and other experts say that most of the people who can be vaccinated need to be vaccinated. But half of Americans now say they wouldn't take a vaccine if it was released now. If the Trump administration approves a vaccine before or after the election should Americans take and and would you take it?"
Harris: "If the public health professionals, if Dr. Fauci, if the doctors tell us that we should take it, I'll be the first in line to take it, absolutely. But if Donald Trump tells us that we should take it, I'm not taking it."
Viceo clip here: https://www.cbsnews.com/video/2020-vp-debate-kamala-harris-on-coronavirus-vaccine/
James - Politics is "How We Order Our Lives Together."
The Scriptures, including the Gospels, believe it or not, also offer us instructions on how we are to love together. To quote Rev, John Winthrop from 1630, "We must entertain each other in brotherly affection. We must be willing to abridge ourselves of our superfluities, for the supply of others’ necessities. We must uphold a familiar commerce together in all meekness, gentleness, patience, and liberality. We must delight in each other; make others’ conditions our own; rejoice together, mourn together, labor and suffer together, always having before our eyes our commission and community in the work, as members of the same body. So shall we keep the unity of the spirit in the bond of peace.”
How we manage to order our lives will, at times, be open to debate, necessary debate. When I make a statement and folks disagree with me, I expect that they will say so. When someone offers his or her opinion and presents it as Church doctrine, I am going to respond with a correction.The interface between the Gospel and politics isn't always pleasant, as many of the civil rights marchers found when they encountered "good Christian folks" at the Edmund Pettus bridge in Selma, Alabama. Even "good Christians" are on the wrong side of history from time to time.
Alas, there are always "rude" folks who usually resort to calling names like third graders or making false accusations aginst those with whom they disagree. It's the way of the world.
Father K,
This is what Harris said:
Harris said that getting a vaccine that's approved by the Trump administration would be "an issue for all of us" and "if Donald Trump tells us that we should take it, I’m not taking it" during the vice presidential debate.
Well, the vaccine was developed because President Trump fast-tracked it, so what vaccine was she going to take? Dr. Fauci did not develop it. Her statement was politically motivated and reckless and may have contributed to the fact that African-Americans remain the least vaccinated group.
You continue to shill for the Party of Intrinsic Evil. You continue to call President Trump a liar, but you have no problem when Democrats lie, including some of the whoppers I pointed out on this thread. And Biden was driven out of the Presidential primaries in 1988 after the then media caught him plagiarizing.
It's good you have double standards, because without double standards you would not have any.
You are like Hillary Clinton, having no sense of self-awareness. Your last statement applies to you in spades:
"Alas, there are always "rude" folks who usually resort to calling names like third graders or making false accusations aginst those with whom they disagree. It's the way of the world."
ps: you don't give a damn about the Gospels, if you did, you would not vote the way you do.
TJM,
There is no one easier to bait here than you-know-who. Embarrassingly, his pride cannot surrender ONE point about anything, so he will always come back for the last word. I suggest you and I stop playing his silly game. It's just one more symptom of you know what.
Jerome Merwick,
"You know you" has serious issues, very child-like and stubborn. I just saw this, if this can't wake him up to the evil he participates in, nothing will:
"BREAKING: The bill that would make killing unborn babies all the way until birth legal under federal law fails to advance in the Senate.
Every Democrat except Manchin voted for it; Every Republican voted against it.
Every Democrat in the House except one voted for the bill too."
If I were his bishop, I would call him in for a "chat."
I posted the video link. Harris did not say what you said she said. (Mic drop)
You Know Who here ..
I posted the video link. Harris did not say what you said she said.
(Mic drop)
Fr K,
LOL - the video confirms she politicized the issue!!! If the vaccine were created under a Democrat administration, you would be apoplectic if a Republican said that! But for President Trump’s fast- tracking we might still not have a vaccination, but good news, abortion is still “healthcare!”
Ever hear of Bella Dodd? I think she was spot on, you’re living proof
The video confirms that she did not say what you said she said.
Father K also forgets how Biden praised Senator Robert Bryd, a former member of the KKK. Since Republicans do not belong to the KKK, Father K will spend hours looking for some crumb to rebut this and while he’s at it, figuring out how Al Gore did not really filibuster the Civil Rights Act!
Okay that’s enough beating up on Father Kavanaugh! TJM would have everyone believe that he is so morally superior because of his crusade regarding abortion, as waged on this Blog, for example—he never once misses an opportunity to play the A card. To state the obvious, however, it is really easy for people like TJM to attack people like Father Kavanaugh (or me for that matter) because their values appear to line up so completely with those espoused by the Republican Party/Cult so that, for them, there is absolutely no tension whatsoever between the publicly stated position of the party/cult on abortion and the party/cult’s other positions (to the extent they have any, that is, beyond supporting whatever the Great Leader says, does, or wants). Apparently, there is no tension between their faith and their politics either.
By contrast, those of us who reject the Great Leader and his party/cult do not have it that easy, and we actually have to live with the tension between faith and politics and the resulting dilemma—support the Republican Party/Cult because of the abortion issue and thereby endorse all the other things the Great Leader wants, says, or does, many of which we might disagree with (or even find abominable in some cases), or reject the party/cult at the polls and vote for someone other than the Great Leader and his party/cult_despite_the other’s publicly stated position on abortion.
Apart from rare profiles in courage like Liz Cheney and Mitt Romney (and even Lindsey Graham in those infrequent moments when John McCain’s spirit hovers over him), the members of the Great Leader’s party/cult are so terrified of the Great Leader and his base, that they dare not say a word that does not completely toe the party line regarding the Big Lie and all the other nonsense—or else! And_these_are the same people who complain about cancel culture? Good grief!
It must be nice to be so morally untroubled.
By the way, I have done my homework and read a lot about inflation—and I still don’t know what causes it. I must be very dumb because there are so many experts here on the Blog.
For me, RCG (as so often) comes closest to the truth—it’s complicated.
Mark - Regarding the comments directed against me . . . "Water off a duck's back."
I, too, agree that the causes of inflation are complicated. But since the time Adam said "Blame HER!" and Eve said, "Blame the SERPENT," we have always looked for an easy scapegoat.
"Blame Biden" for inflation is another such mindless reaction.
"Bweare the man with the simple answer."
Mark,
The abortion card, have you heard of the race card? Your Party uses it nonstop even in circumstances when it does not apply. The abortion card, however, is very real.
This is one reason why the Catholic Church has become a joke to many. These "Catholics"in the US Senate voted to allow the killing of an infant up to the last minute. Your European betters would not approve:
Cantwell, Casey, Masto, Durbin, Gillibrand, Kaine, Kelly, Leahey, Lujan, Markey, and Reed. Only Joe Manchin held out.
Now go back to the faculty lounge and pick up the DNC talking points which are probably produced their daily so you know what to think. Defending evil is just what th DNC does.
TJM,
Life is complicated. Believe it or not, there are people who do not like the Democrat or Republican party for genuine, legitimate reasons. Party membership does not always fit the caricature of "blind, stupid people mindlessly accepting whatever the cult leader (D or R) tells them."
Oh, did someone hurt our feelings by characterizing us as such fools? Boo hoo.
I know who I am. Hopefully you know who you are. We don't need to appease our vanity by replying to every little shot someone takes at us or refuting every point on which we are convinced others are wrong. Let's stick to the big stuff, otherwise all we do is confirm the accusations.
I'm out of this "conversation"...it went way too far three days ago.
Thomas Garrett,
Please take away one thought: the Republican Party, though not perfect, does not support intrinsic evils as defined by the Catholic Church as the Democrat Party does.
TJM just can’t leave it alone, can he? There he is again playing the A card and the “intrinsic evil” card. And always asserting that I am a member of the Democratic Party, which I am not, as I have said countless times until I am blue in the face! I am a member of neither of the two main parties, but an independent voter who tries to think for himself without the crutch of party line “talking points.” Nor do I believe in playing the R card any more than I believe in playing the A card. On the other hand, I also believe in seeking the truth, both about abortion and about race, and indeed about everything else.
To Thomas Garret’s point, there is a serious conversation to be had here. Father K began to open it up at 4:28 p.m. yesterday, but instead people just seemed interested in continuing to score cheap political points. What is that conversation? It is about the relationship between our faith and politics, a relationship that involves multiple dimensions ranging from general questions regarding the place worldly politics should have in our faith life and the importance of virtue and character in our political leaders to questions about specific issues.
Mark,
Father K, like you, are not interested in serious conversation. You just want us to accept your leftwing view of things.
Unlike you and Father K, I once was a Democratic Party official, as was my father, who ran Bobby Kennedy’s campaign in a Midwestern state, dining with Bobby and Ethel on many occasions. He walked away from the Party when the Clintoons’ came on the scene viewing them as money grubbing grifters. I walked away when they would not allow Gov. Casey of PA who was pro-life on the Party’s convention stage because it would upset Planned Abortionhood( so much for diversity of viewpoints). You can rationalize all you want but the Democratic Party is systemically evil and is in the pockets of Planned Parenthood and Bic Tech, giving the working class the shaft
TJM likes to play the A card as his Trump card and to throw in the term “intrinsic evil” for good measure. In the interests of advancing serious discussion as opposed to engaging in juvenile, reductionist partisan political rhetoric, we might do well to consider the following thoughtful and thought-provoking discussion of the term “intrinsic evil” and its implications for moral and political decision-making:
https://www.americamagazine.org/issue/673/article/intrinsic-evil-and-political-responsibility
Mark,
Sorry, I take my Catholic Faith seriously and am not interested in sophistry. The Democrat Party, through its Antifa and BLM brownshirts, operates like a crime organization and an extreme totalitarian one at that. They have actively worked to remove pro-life Democrats from office, most recently Congressman Lipinski from Chicago, with a pro-abortion absolutist. The Party espouses “inclusion, diversity, etc” but they are meaningless words meant to deceive the gullible, which includes you. I find that people who lap up the current, popular culture (media, academia and the entertainment industry) are among the most gullible and daily display their disdain the unwashed without whom you would have no food ore energy.
TJM:
I will make an exception this one time and respond to you directly. As you know, I said before that I was done with you. I meant it and you have said nothing to change my mind about that. You claim to know what I think and believe, but you haven’t a clue, and you cannot be bothered to find out. You don’t listen, you don’t move beyond binary thinking (“if you’re not all in for Trump, you must be a Democrat and/or left-wing”), you cannot tolerate dissent, and indeed you ascribe bad faith to those who disagree with you. You are like this either because you can’t be anything else, or you won’t.
I think it is appalling that the Democratic Party apparently no longer has room for “pro-life” Democrats, at least at the national level, and have said so several times on this Blog—just as appalling as the Republican Party apparently having no room for anyone who departs from the Great Leader’s party line. And_I_am the gullible one?
I have also said countless times that I think our politics is corrupt, and this means politics as practiced by both major political parties. I would welcome a serious conversation about how we should address this corruption with anyone who is interested in having such a conversation, including a conversation about related matters regarding the relationship between faith and politics. You are evidently not such a person. Instead, you characterize such serious conversation as “sophistry,” which is ironic coming from Southern Order’s very own Thrasymachus. As I said before, I am done with you, and so should anyone be who is interested in serious conversation.
Last point:
GOP senators successfully defeated a bill seeking to regulate abortion access on a federal level.
When I was a boy wandering the hills of Appalachia I would occasionally come across a dead animal of some size. Over the following days I would retrace my steps to check on the work of time. There would sometimes be movement, still, but you could tell it was thoroughly dead by the smell.
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