lifesitenews--2020-09-19--German church in danger of becoming ‘national church’ and ‘secularized,’  two cardinals warn

PETITION : Join faithful German Catholics in resisting bishops ’ plan to ‘ Protestantize ’ Church !
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September 18 , 2020 ( LifeSiteNews ) — Two German cardinals have warned that the “ synodal path ” enacted by the German bishops could lead to “ secularization , ” “ division , ” and even “ some kind of German national church.
” Cardinal Rainer Maria Woelki , the archbishop of Cologne , told his diocesan newspaper , “ The worst result would be if the synodal path leads to division and thus out of the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ universal Church .
That would be worst , if some kind of German national church were to emerge here.
” On the other hand , Woelki said the best result “ would be if we succeeded in initiating a real reform , which is definitely necessary in the Church .
In my opinion , this would have to be a reform that corrects all the appearances and realities that have led away from the essence of the Church , and helps us to recognize the essence of the Church in a deeper way @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the Church is not a purely sociological entity , but that it is the work of God , that it is the body of Christ , and that one can never see the Church without Christ.
” “ Whoever loves Christ loves the Church ; whoever loves the Church loves Christ , ” the cardinal explained .
“ Christ and the Church belong inseparably together .
And when it comes to reforming the Church , it can only ever be about rediscovery , about a stronger rapprochement with Christ and his Gospel , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ as Church.
” Cardinal Gerhard Müller , a former prefect of the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith , said in an interview book about to be published next week that “ the so-called synodal path of the church establishment in Germany is indeed aimed at a further secularization of the Church.
” “ Instead of a renewal from the Gospel with catechesis , mission , pastoral care , mystagogy of the sacraments , one relies — as for the past half-century — on topics with which one thinks one can score @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Western world and hopes to arrive at a thinking that is reduced to the materialistic conception of man.
” Müller pointed out a number of issues where the synodal path deviates from Catholic teaching .
“ At its core , it is first of all a matter of transforming the sacrament of ordination into a professional system of well paid functionaries , and secondly of shifting the politically understood ‘ power ’ from the bishops and priests to a leadership of ‘ laymen ’ with the clause that women be given preference if @ @ @ @ @ @ @ explained .
“ Thirdly , what is disturbing is the Christian morality , as it results from the new life in Christ , which is disqualified as ‘ hostile to the body ’ and allegedly incompatible with the standards of modern sexology ( cf .
Gal 5:13–25 ) .
The stumbling block since the Protestant Reformation and the naturalism of the Enlightenment is , fourthly , of course the celibacy of priests , as well as the evangelical counsels ( poverty , chastity , obedience ) of the consecrated life.
” “ Instead @ @ @ @ @ @ @ theological and anthropological challenges of the process of dechristianization , the new edition of the old agenda of the 1970s is intended to regain one ’ s footing , ” he criticized .
“ Once again , I mention keywords : abolition of misunderstood priestly celibacy , access of women to the sacramental ministry , intercommunion in case of permanent separation in faith , recognition of sexual communities outside marriage , and so on.
” The cardinal emphasized that the synodal path in Germany “ could hardly claim the Holy Spirit for itself @ @ @ @ @ @ @ and reinterpret the authority of Sacred Scripture , Apostolic Tradition , and the infallible decisions of the Magisterium.
” “ In better times the German bishops had still clearly stated the limits of the Church ’ s authority , namely that even the pope and all the faithful are bound by Scripture , Tradition , and the previous Magisterium , and that it is by no means possible to substantially reinterpret or even undermine the creed and teaching of the Church under the pretext of a new hermeneutics , ” Müller recounted .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ a letter of the German bishops against the omnipotent chancellor of the German Empire , Otto von Bismarck , in 1875.
” The head of the German Bishops ’ Conference , Bishop Georg Bätzing of Limburg , reacted to Woelki ’ s fear that the synodal path could lead to a German “ national church.
” “ The Catholic Church is a universal church , which in turn consists of particular churches , ” Bätzing said .
“ The church in Germany is part of the universal Church , and nothing will change @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the church in Germany as being part of the universal Church , Bätzing announced in a separate interview , “ I consider the female diaconate to be very legitimate.
” The Catholic Church teaches that the sacrament of orders consists of three degrees : deacon , priest , and bishop .
Nevertheless , the sacrament of orders is only one .
Accordingly , if only men can become priests , as Pope John Paul II emphatically reaffirmed in his 1994 apostolic letter Ordinatio Sacerdotalis , this has to be true also for bishops @ @ @

PETITION: Join faithful German Catholics in resisting bishops’ plan to ‘Protestantize’ Church! Sign the petition here.
September 18, 2020 (LifeSiteNews) — Two German cardinals have warned that the “synodal path” enacted by the German bishops could lead to “secularization,” “division,” and even “some kind of German national church.”
Cardinal Rainer Maria Woelki, the archbishop of Cologne, told his diocesan newspaper, “The worst result would be if the synodal path leads to division and thus out of the Church, out of communion with the universal Church. That would be worst, if some kind of German national church were to emerge here.”
On the other hand, Woelki said the best result “would be if we succeeded in initiating a real reform, which is definitely necessary in the Church. In my opinion, this would have to be a reform that corrects all the appearances and realities that have led away from the essence of the Church, and helps us to recognize the essence of the Church in a deeper way — above all, to recognize that the Church is not a purely sociological entity, but that it is the work of God, that it is the body of Christ, and that one can never see the Church without Christ.”
“Whoever loves Christ loves the Church; whoever loves the Church loves Christ,” the cardinal explained. “Christ and the Church belong inseparably together. And when it comes to reforming the Church, it can only ever be about rediscovery, about a stronger rapprochement with Christ and his Gospel, as individuals and as a community, as Church.”
Cardinal Gerhard Müller, a former prefect of the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith, said in an interview book about to be published next week that “the so-called synodal path of the church establishment in Germany is indeed aimed at a further secularization of the Church.”
“Instead of a renewal from the Gospel with catechesis, mission, pastoral care, mystagogy of the sacraments, one relies — as for the past half-century — on topics with which one thinks one can score points in the public opinion of the Western world and hopes to arrive at a thinking that is reduced to the materialistic conception of man.”
Müller pointed out a number of issues where the synodal path deviates from Catholic teaching.
“At its core, it is first of all a matter of transforming the sacrament of ordination into a professional system of well paid functionaries, and secondly of shifting the politically understood ‘power’ from the bishops and priests to a leadership of ‘laymen’ with the clause that women be given preference if they are equally qualified,” he explained.
“Thirdly, what is disturbing is the Christian morality, as it results from the new life in Christ, which is disqualified as ‘hostile to the body’ and allegedly incompatible with the standards of modern sexology (cf. Gal 5:13–25). The stumbling block since the Protestant Reformation and the naturalism of the Enlightenment is, fourthly, of course the celibacy of priests, as well as the evangelical counsels (poverty, chastity, obedience) of the consecrated life.”
“Instead of intellectually and spiritually facing the great theological and anthropological challenges of the process of dechristianization, the new edition of the old agenda of the 1970s is intended to regain one’s footing,” he criticized. “Once again, I mention keywords: abolition of misunderstood priestly celibacy, access of women to the sacramental ministry, intercommunion in case of permanent separation in faith, recognition of sexual communities outside marriage, and so on.”
The cardinal emphasized that the synodal path in Germany “could hardly claim the Holy Spirit for itself in order to suspend, correct, and reinterpret the authority of Sacred Scripture, Apostolic Tradition, and the infallible decisions of the Magisterium.”
“In better times the German bishops had still clearly stated the limits of the Church’s authority, namely that even the pope and all the faithful are bound by Scripture, Tradition, and the previous Magisterium, and that it is by no means possible to substantially reinterpret or even undermine the creed and teaching of the Church under the pretext of a new hermeneutics,” Müller recounted. “This is what it says in a letter of the German bishops against the omnipotent chancellor of the German Empire, Otto von Bismarck, in 1875.”
The head of the German Bishops’ Conference, Bishop Georg Bätzing of Limburg, reacted to Woelki’s fear that the synodal path could lead to a German “national church.”
“The Catholic Church is a universal church, which in turn consists of particular churches,” Bätzing said. “The church in Germany is part of the universal Church, and nothing will change in this respect.”
Shortly after describing the church in Germany as being part of the universal Church, Bätzing announced in a separate interview, “I consider the female diaconate to be very legitimate.”
The Catholic Church teaches that the sacrament of orders consists of three degrees: deacon, priest, and bishop. Nevertheless, the sacrament of orders is only one. Accordingly, if only men can become priests, as Pope John Paul II emphatically reaffirmed in his 1994 apostolic letter Ordinatio Sacerdotalis, this has to be true also for bishops and deacons.
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lifesitenews--2020-09-19--‘Passion of the Christ’ lead actor blasts ‘collaborator’ bishops destroying Church

September 18 , 2020 ( LifeSiteNews ) — Catholic actor Jim Caviezel , best known for playing Jesus in the 2004 film The Passion of the Christ , blasted “ lukewarm ” Christians in a Fox News interview , saying it ’ s “ a bloody shame ” one can ’ t tell the difference “ between a priest , a bishop , or a politician.
” “ I got to play Jesus , some of us love Peter or Paul , but there are many of us right now , they are flat out Judases , okay ?
Or @ @ @ @ @ @ @ 're the Pharisees , okay ?
” Caviezel told Shannon Bream on the Fox News show [ email protected ] yesterday .
“ It ’ s a bloody shame if you can ’ t tell the difference between a priest , a bishop , or a politician .
It ’ s really sad , but this is called lukewarmness , and Christ has a very special place for them , and they know it.
” Caviezel appeared as a guest on [ email protected ] to discuss his latest movie , Infidel , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ “ well executed thriller.
” Caviezel made the remarks when asked by Bream about what his concerns are regarding the role of faith , and what people should be doing about it in today ’ s world .
He was blunt with Bream , telling her that his new film is not some “ candy-ass Christian stupid film , ” but is rather one about “ what is really going on today ” in terms of the persecution of Christians in the Middle East .
“ Well , it [ the film Infidel @ @ @ @ @ @ @ this thing called cancel culture , and if Christians don ’ t watch , it will be canceling Christianity as well , because a lot of our pastors , okay , our bishops , our priests — they ’ re laying right over , ” Caviezel told Bream .
“ They let their churches being burned , all right ?
How do we know that ?
Well , it ’ s right there in the news .
Statues being ripped down .
They don ’ t say anything.
” Infidel has Caviezel starring @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , who is kidnapped in Cairo , Egypt while speaking at a conference .
Rawlins ends up in an Iranian prison on bogus spying charges .
In the film , Rawlins ’ s wife tries to get U.S. State Department officials to help her retrieve her husband , but they refuse to get involved .
The film features the Christian persecution going on today in many countries in the Middle East and centers on the Christian underground inside the nation of Iran .
Caviezel also told Bream that the closing of churches did @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , saying to her that he has lost friends to suicide .
“ Would it have helped to be able to get into a church , especially during this time ?
Absolutely .
And is it good for mental illness ?
Yes , it is , ” Caviezel told Bream .
He also said the situation in which “ collaborators ” don ’ t stand up governors or mayors is where the “ persecution ” starts .
“ So the collaborators in our faith , all right , this is where the persecution @ @ @ @ @ @ @ inside your faith that won ’ t stand up to the governors , that will not stand up to the mayors , ” said Caviezel .
“ That ’ s why the Gospels are very much alive right now.
” In an interview on Breitbart News Daily to promote his new film last week , Caviezel blasted the closure of churches in the United States due to coronavirus-imposed restrictions .
“ There are Christians right now being persecuted for their faith , whether it be in Iran or in China or other parts @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
“ And we need not go any further than the United States , where you ’ re not allowed to go into churches .
”

Catholic actor Jim Caviezel, best known for playing Jesus in the 2004 film, unloaded on 'lukewarm' Christians in a recent Fox News interview.
September 18, 2020 (LifeSiteNews) — Catholic actor Jim Caviezel, best known for playing Jesus in the 2004 film The Passion of the Christ, blasted “lukewarm” Christians in a Fox News interview, saying it’s “a bloody shame” one can’t tell the difference “between a priest, a bishop, or a politician.”
“I got to play Jesus, some of us love Peter or Paul, but there are many of us right now, they are flat out Judases, okay? Or they’re Pontius Pilates or they're the Pharisees, okay?” Caviezel told Shannon Bream on the Fox News show [email protected] yesterday.
“It’s a bloody shame if you can’t tell the difference between a priest, a bishop, or a politician. It’s really sad, but this is called lukewarmness, and Christ has a very special place for them, and they know it.”
Caviezel appeared as a guest on [email protected] to discuss his latest movie, Infidel, which he described to Bream as a “well executed thriller.” Caviezel made the remarks when asked by Bream about what his concerns are regarding the role of faith, and what people should be doing about it in today’s world.
He was blunt with Bream, telling her that his new film is not some “candy-ass Christian stupid film,” but is rather one about “what is really going on today” in terms of the persecution of Christians in the Middle East.
“Well, it [the film Infidel]’s relevant because we have this thing called cancel culture, and if Christians don’t watch, it will be canceling Christianity as well, because a lot of our pastors, okay, our bishops, our priests — they’re laying right over,” Caviezel told Bream.
“They let their churches being burned, all right? How do we know that? Well, it’s right there in the news. Statues being ripped down. They don’t say anything.”
Infidel has Caviezel starring as an American journalist named Doug Rawlins, who is kidnapped in Cairo, Egypt while speaking at a conference. Rawlins ends up in an Iranian prison on bogus spying charges.
In the film, Rawlins’s wife tries to get U.S. State Department officials to help her retrieve her husband, but they refuse to get involved.
The film features the Christian persecution going on today in many countries in the Middle East and centers on the Christian underground inside the nation of Iran.
Caviezel also told Bream that the closing of churches did not help those with mental health issues, saying to her that he has lost friends to suicide.
“Would it have helped to be able to get into a church, especially during this time? Absolutely. And is it good for mental illness? Yes, it is,” Caviezel told Bream.
He also said the situation in which “collaborators” don’t stand up governors or mayors is where the “persecution” starts.
“So the collaborators in our faith, all right, this is where the persecution starts. You gotta have guys inside your faith that won’t stand up to the governors, that will not stand up to the mayors,” said Caviezel.
“That’s why the Gospels are very much alive right now.”
In an interview on Breitbart News Daily to promote his new film last week, Caviezel blasted the closure of churches in the United States due to coronavirus-imposed restrictions.
“There are Christians right now being persecuted for their faith, whether it be in Iran or in China or other parts of the world,” said Caviezel. “And we need not go any further than the United States, where you’re not allowed to go into churches.”
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lifesitenews--2020-09-19--BREAKING: Pro-abortion Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg dead at 87, 45 days before election

WASHINGTON , D.C. , September 18 , 2020 ( LifeSiteNews ) – Pro-abortion and pro-homosexuality Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg died today at 87 years of age .
She was the oldest of the nine justices .
“ May God have mercy on her soul , ” said John-Henry Westen , Co-Founder and Editor-in-Chief of LifeSiteNews .
“ Justice Ginsburg was known for her friendship with the late Justice Antonin Scalia , a pro-life Catholic who attended the Traditional Latin Mass .
We hope that his faith had an impact on her later in her life , and that @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the end.
” She died of “ complications of metastatic pancreas cancer , ” according to the Supreme Court .
Among other decisions , Ginsburg had voted to strike down a law banning partial-birth abortions in Nebraska .
“ A state regulation that ‘ has the purpose or effect of placing a substantial obstacle in the path of a woman seeking an abortion of a nonviable fetus ’ violates the Constitution , ” she argued .
Ginsburg was also in favor of so-called homosexual “ marriage.
” Only a few months after the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Marriage Act in 2013 , Ginsburg became the first Supreme Court justice to officiate a homosexual “ wedding ” ceremony .
“ I think it will be one more statement that people who love each other and want to live together should be able to enjoy the blessings and the strife in the marriage relationship , ” Ginsburg said afterwards .
She subsequently officiated at several other same-sex “ weddings , ” before imposing homosexual “ marriage ” on the nation in the 2015 case Obergefell v. Hodges .
Ginsburg had been hospitalized @ @ @ @ @ @ @ month , President Donald Trump had announced the names of 20 new candidates he would consider to fill any openings on the Supreme Court , including three senators : Ted Cruz of Texas , Tom Cotton of Arkansas , and Josh Hawley of Missouri .
Another name on the new list was Sarah Pitlyk , who was part of the defense team for Center for Medical Progress head David Daleiden in Planned Parenthood ’ s case against him for exposing the abortion giant ’ s sale of organs from aborted babies .
Before @ @ @ @ @ @ @ released two lists with 21 names overall .
A social conservative favorite from those lists is Amy Coney Barrett .
It remains to be seen whether Trump , and a Senate with a small Republican majority , will be able to push through any candidate before the November elections .
In May 2019 , Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell said “ we ’ d fill it ” if a Supreme Court seat became vacant before the 2020 election .
According to an NPR report , Ginsburg had told granddaughter Clara Spera , “ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ will not be replaced until a new president is installed.
” “ Justice Ginsburg ’ s tragic passing makes it clear just how important ... the U.S. Supreme Court ” is , said Kristan Hawkins , President of Students for Life of America .
“ President Trump must move quickly to nominate someone committed to protecting life in law , fulfilling his promise to appoint judges who don ’ t see the Constitution as a fill-in-the-blank document .
”

WASHINGTON, D.C., September 18, 2020 (LifeSiteNews) – Pro-abortion and pro-homosexuality Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg died today at 87 years of age. She was the oldest of the nine justices.
“May God have mercy on her soul,” said John-Henry Westen, Co-Founder and Editor-in-Chief of LifeSiteNews. “Justice Ginsburg was known for her friendship with the late Justice Antonin Scalia, a pro-life Catholic who attended the Traditional Latin Mass. We hope that his faith had an impact on her later in her life, and that she repented of her pro-abortion activism at the end.”
She died of “complications of metastatic pancreas cancer,” according to the Supreme Court.
Shannon Bream of Fox News told Tucker Carlson Tonight that Ginsburg “died peacefully.”
Among other decisions, Ginsburg had voted to strike down a law banning partial-birth abortions in Nebraska. “A state regulation that ‘has the purpose or effect of placing a substantial obstacle in the path of a woman seeking an abortion of a nonviable fetus’ violates the Constitution,” she argued.
Ginsburg was also in favor of so-called homosexual “marriage.” Only a few months after the Supreme Court struck down the Defense of Marriage Act in 2013, Ginsburg became the first Supreme Court justice to officiate a homosexual “wedding” ceremony.
“I think it will be one more statement that people who love each other and want to live together should be able to enjoy the blessings and the strife in the marriage relationship,” Ginsburg said afterwards. She subsequently officiated at several other same-sex “weddings,” before imposing homosexual “marriage” on the nation in the 2015 case Obergefell v. Hodges.
Ginsburg had been hospitalized several times this year.
Earlier this month, President Donald Trump had announced the names of 20 new candidates he would consider to fill any openings on the Supreme Court, including three senators: Ted Cruz of Texas, Tom Cotton of Arkansas, and Josh Hawley of Missouri.
Another name on the new list was Sarah Pitlyk, who was part of the defense team for Center for Medical Progress head David Daleiden in Planned Parenthood’s case against him for exposing the abortion giant’s sale of organs from aborted babies.
Before the 2016 election, Trump had already released two lists with 21 names overall. A social conservative favorite from those lists is Amy Coney Barrett.
It remains to be seen whether Trump, and a Senate with a small Republican majority, will be able to push through any candidate before the November elections.
In May 2019, Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell said “we’d fill it” if a Supreme Court seat became vacant before the 2020 election.
According to an NPR report, Ginsburg had told granddaughter Clara Spera, “My most fervent wish is that I will not be replaced until a new president is installed.”
“Justice Ginsburg’s tragic passing makes it clear just how important…the U.S. Supreme Court” is, said Kristan Hawkins, President of Students for Life of America. “President Trump must move quickly to nominate someone committed to protecting life in law, fulfilling his promise to appoint judges who don’t see the Constitution as a fill-in-the-blank document.”
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lifesitenews--2020-09-18--Breitbart author provides evidence Google, Facebook are trying to ‘steal’ election from Trump

PETITION : Break up Big Tech tyrants and defend free speech !
Sign the petition here .
WASHINGTON , D.C. , September 18 , 2020 ( LifeSiteNews ) — The social media giants , stunned by Donald Trump ’ s election in 2016 , have been tinkering with their products to ensure Americans don ’ t re-elect him in 2020 .
This is the central argument of Allum Bokhari , Breitbart ’ s senior technology correspondent , in his # Deleted : Big Tech ’ s Battle to Erase the Trump Movement and Steal the Election .
In this carefully @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Bokhari presents strong evidence that Google , YouTube , Facebook , and Twitter are hiding and banning conservative content .
Democrat-dominated Silicon Valley , once a keen promoter of internet freedom around the world , changed its collective mind when that freedom encouraged populism and resulted in the Republican victory of 2016 .
Now Big Tech has turned its back on American-style freedom of speech to promote a more “ European tradition ” that values “ dignity ” and “ civility ” over liberty .
Bokhari was clearly the right person to write @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
His various scoops for Breibart have given him authority on the Big Tech beat .
When Sergey Brin , the Russia-born co-founder of Google , told his employees that the 2016 election results were “ deeply offensive ” both to him and many of them , Bokhari obtained a video copy of Google ’ s post-election speeches and published it .
In # Deleted , Bokhari describes Brin ’ s words as “ an open display of political bias from a leader of the world ’ s most powerful tech company.
” @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ’ s power .
As the journalist points out , the company ’ s mission is to “ organize the world ’ s information ” and that information includes you , dear readers .
If you use a Google product — device , browser , Android phone , Gmail or YouTube — Google knows what you ’ re doing with it .
Google reads your emails , documents , and texts .
Google knows what kind of music you like , who you ’ re phoning , and where you ’ re phoning @ @ @ @ @ @ @ of surveillance and knowledge that the … KGB could only have dreamed of , ” Bokhari wrote .
Knowing everything about us , Google also knows how to manipulate us , and that includes what we see when we use its search engine .
Bokhari includes the research of psychologist Dr. Robert Epstein , who discovered that the Google search engine influences election results in favor of the Democratic Party .
And as frightening as that is , it ’ s just one example of how Big Tech privileges left-wing speech and ideas @ @ @ @ @ @ @ harder to find .
When a single pro-abortion journalist complained to YouTube about pro-life videos , within hours “ several highly popular pro-life videos fell out of the top 10 search results , ” Bokhari wrote .
They were “ replaced by anodyne or openly pro-abortion videos from largely mainstream and left-wing media organizations.
” Google owns YouTube ( and Blogger , and Double-Click , and Nest ) , so in this case it clearly was not just organizing information , but hiding the truth and promoting lies .
LifeSiteNews spoke with Bokhari @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Brought up in London , Bokhari went to Oxford University from 2011 until 2013 and began writing for Breitbart in 2015 .
He relocated to the United States by the end of that year and now lives in Washington , D.C. Bokhari has also moved from a liberal position : after leaving Oxford , he worked for a Liberal Democrat Member of Parliament , an unusual CV entry for a senior Breitbart reporter .
“ I was still sort of on the left back then , ” Bokhari told LifeSiteNews .
“ I @ @ @ @ @ @ @ 2013 and 2014 , and then 2016.
” “ In the book , I define being right wing as noticing things you ’ re not supposed to , and I suppose the way it works is that you notice one thing , and then you notice a bunch of other things , and it just escalates.
” In 2013-2014 , Bokhari noticed that feminists were trying to censor Reddit and video games , and when the GamerGate scandal , which pitted feminist video game journalists against video game fans , broke , he @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
“ I grew up in the era of true internet free speech when all platforms said they still believed in ( it ) and didn ’ t have any rules even against hate speech ’ , and that was the internet I was used to , ” the author explained .
“ A general assumption of my generation was that internet freedom of speech was a good thing : an unprecedented technology that really advanced human freedom , ” he continued .
“ And that all started to come under attack in @ @ @ @ @ @ @ involved in conservative politics because all of this censorship was being pushed by the left.
” After noticing this , Bokhari also began to notice “ lies ” and “ myths ” like “ gender being a spectrum ” and “ systemic racism ” were also being promoted by the left .
“ Once you notice one thing is off , you notice that all these other things are off as well , ” he said .
In # Deleted , Bokhari wrote that algorithms are naturally right wing , but that they @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ’ biases .
“ An algorithm is … designed to take in a lot of data , analyze it and reach a conclusion .
Algorithms notice patterns ; that ’ s what they ’ re good at , ” he told LifeSiteNews .
“ But if you build a machine for noticing patterns and analyzing data dispassionately , it ’ s going to reach a lot of conclusions that the left won ’ t like , ” he continued .
“ They ’ re not going to be politically correct conclusions because the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the far-left activist-engineers who control social media are working to change that .
Bokhari told LifeSiteNews that Google now has an entire department called “ Machine Learning Fairness.
” “ The whole field of Machine Learning Fairness is essentially an attempt to bring left-wing academics — the critical race theory types , the gender studies types — together with computer scientists to make sure that the algorithms that are being built in Silicon Valley are pre-programmed with left-wing biases , so that they don ’ t reach those politically incorrect conclusions , even @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Bokhari said .
The author found this “ very , very scary ” because “ the algorithms that control every aspect of our lives are going to be in every single business , helping people make decisions , and people are going to trust them.
” Asked about the ability of social technology to change firm opinions , Bokhari stated that , in reality , it is harder to convince a pro-life person to become pro-choice than the other way around .
“ When you actually look at the images of unborn babies @ @ @ @ @ @ @ can see the limbs in development , and it ’ s very very shocking , ” he said .
“ Those images are very , very dangerous to the left , which is why they ’ ve actually censored them.
” Big Tech doesn ’ t have to remove the images or other inconvenient truths ; it can just move them down far enough in the search results so that seekers never find them .
Ninety percent of people who do a Google search do not go beyond the first page .
( @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Thomas Rosica plagiarism story , and has published dozens of articles about Fr .
Rosica , its coverage does not appear until Google ’ s page 2 . )
Meanwhile , protecting people from different points of view does not bring about mutual understanding or advance the truth .
As Bokhari pointed out in # Deleted , “ human reasoning is motivated by a desire to justify our own biases rather than to achieve an objective understanding of the world.
” What corrects this , he wrote , is “ mistrust ” : @ @ @ @ @ @ @ your views .
Faced with intellectual opposition , people have to assemble facts and arguments to support their case .
“ I think censorship makes the partisan dynamic worse , ” the author told LifeSiteNews , “ because you need to be exposed to different points of view in order to challenge your own partisan thinking.
” “ Partisanship makes people more epistemically vigilant towards the arguments of the people who are on the other side .
Nobody ’ s perfectly objective .
Partisanship is the way we critique each other .
( @ @ @ @ @ @ @ thing when there ’ s an equal playing field , ” he continued .
“ Unfortunately , there ’ s not an equal playing field because one side is getting censored and the other , largely , is not.
” This is not just online , of course .
Bokhari believes that academia is the “ biggest echo chamber , ” and that the left is so threatened by internet freedom because it challenges their “ propaganda machine.
” He no longer calls those distressed by conservative viewpoints “ snowflakes ” because “ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ burning down America ’ s cities , encouraging looting , attacking people , actually killing them , in some cases.
” It took four years for Bokhari to complete # Deleted : Big Tech ’ s Battle to Erase the Trump Movement and Steal the Election .
When LifeSiteNews asked the journalist what revelation about Big Tech shocked him the most , he had to take a moment to reflect .
“ I think the one that was most shocking to me was how internet anonymity essentially doesn ’ t exist anymore because @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , ” he said .
Even people who go to great lengths to remain anonymous online with privacy technology can be identified now because of technology that measures their typing speed , mouse movements , and writing styles .
“ That is astonishing , and it ’ s especially scary that it ’ s happening at this moment in history where we have this cancel culture that ’ s so powerful , ” Bokhari observed .
“ People are having their careers and lives destroyed by having the wrong opinion .
Those are @ @ @ @ @ @ @ there ’ s a rise in political intolerance and you need anonymity the most .
That ’ s what the Founding Fathers used in the Federalist Papers to debate the Constitution , ” he continued .
“ Anonymity has always been the refuge of dissident thinkers , and we ’ re now in a situation on the internet where people think they have anonymity but they actually don ’ t. ” Why does the left hate Trump so much ?
One could argue that the king of wrong opinion in America right now @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Tech so badly wants you to vote against in the next election .
The left ’ s antipathy to President Trump , Bokhari believes , is based in his refusal to believe in the narratives of the “ nexus of academia , woke corporations and the administrative state.
” Even worse , he has a non-interventionist “ America First ” foreign policy that pulls back from conflicts abroad .
“ That ’ s completely contrary to what Democrat and Republican administrations have been doing over the past 20 years , ” the author @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Democrat and Republican policies concerning free trade , especially with China , and thwarting open borders policies that are helpful to the Democrats , as migrants positively impact their “ electoral fortunes ” and to Republicans backed by “ big business lobbies.
” “ Three very powerful challenges to the Establishment consensus that went back 30 years ago or more , ” Bokhari stated .
“ I always find it interesting when people say that the only time President Trump ever got good press was when he bombed Syria.
” To congratulate Allum @ @ @ @ @ @ @ for internet freedom , please contact him at [ email protected ] or on Twitter .
To order his book # Deleted directly from the publisher , please contact Center Street .
Otherwise , the book can be ordered from Amazon .

Allum Bokhari in '#Deleted' presents strong evidence that Google, YouTube, Facebook, and Twitter are hiding and banning conservative content for a sinister purpose.
PETITION: Break up Big Tech tyrants and defend free speech! Sign the petition here.
WASHINGTON, D.C., September 18, 2020 (LifeSiteNews) — The social media giants, stunned by Donald Trump’s election in 2016, have been tinkering with their products to ensure Americans don’t re-elect him in 2020.
This is the central argument of Allum Bokhari, Breitbart’s senior technology correspondent, in his #Deleted: Big Tech’s Battle to Erase the Trump Movement and Steal the Election. In this carefully researched, 16-chapter book, the Oxford-educated Bokhari presents strong evidence that Google, YouTube, Facebook, and Twitter are hiding and banning conservative content.
Democrat-dominated Silicon Valley, once a keen promoter of internet freedom around the world, changed its collective mind when that freedom encouraged populism and resulted in the Republican victory of 2016. Now Big Tech has turned its back on American-style freedom of speech to promote a more “European tradition” that values “dignity” and “civility” over liberty.
Bokhari was clearly the right person to write this excellent, if frightening, book. His various scoops for Breibart have given him authority on the Big Tech beat. When Sergey Brin, the Russia-born co-founder of Google, told his employees that the 2016 election results were “deeply offensive” both to him and many of them, Bokhari obtained a video copy of Google’s post-election speeches and published it.
In #Deleted, Bokhari describes Brin’s words as “an open display of political bias from a leader of the world’s most powerful tech company.” And he’s not exaggerating Google’s power. As the journalist points out, the company’s mission is to “organize the world’s information” and that information includes you, dear readers. If you use a Google product — device, browser, Android phone, Gmail or YouTube — Google knows what you’re doing with it. Google reads your emails, documents, and texts. Google knows what kind of music you like, who you’re phoning, and where you’re phoning from.
“It is a level of surveillance and knowledge that the … KGB could only have dreamed of,” Bokhari wrote.
Knowing everything about us, Google also knows how to manipulate us, and that includes what we see when we use its search engine. Bokhari includes the research of psychologist Dr. Robert Epstein, who discovered that the Google search engine influences election results in favor of the Democratic Party.
And as frightening as that is, it’s just one example of how Big Tech privileges left-wing speech and ideas by making the conservative point of view harder to find. When a single pro-abortion journalist complained to YouTube about pro-life videos, within hours “several highly popular pro-life videos fell out of the top 10 search results,” Bokhari wrote.
They were “replaced by anodyne or openly pro-abortion videos from largely mainstream and left-wing media organizations.” Google owns YouTube (and Blogger, and Double-Click, and Nest), so in this case it clearly was not just organizing information, but hiding the truth and promoting lies.
‘Being right-wing is noticing things you’re not supposed to’
LifeSiteNews spoke with Bokhari earlier this week about #Deleted. Brought up in London, Bokhari went to Oxford University from 2011 until 2013 and began writing for Breitbart in 2015. He relocated to the United States by the end of that year and now lives in Washington, D.C.
Bokhari has also moved from a liberal position: after leaving Oxford, he worked for a Liberal Democrat Member of Parliament, an unusual CV entry for a senior Breitbart reporter.
“I was still sort of on the left back then,” Bokhari told LifeSiteNews. “I moved very quickly to the right in 2013 and 2014, and then 2016.”
“In the book, I define being right wing as noticing things you’re not supposed to, and I suppose the way it works is that you notice one thing, and then you notice a bunch of other things, and it just escalates.”
In 2013-2014, Bokhari noticed that feminists were trying to censor Reddit and video games, and when the GamerGate scandal, which pitted feminist video game journalists against video game fans, broke, he became even more concerned about internet freedom.
“I grew up in the era of true internet free speech when all platforms said they still believed in (it) and didn’t have any rules even against hate speech’, and that was the internet I was used to,” the author explained.
“A general assumption of my generation was that internet freedom of speech was a good thing: an unprecedented technology that really advanced human freedom,” he continued.
“And that all started to come under attack in 2014 and 2015 … I started getting involved in conservative politics because all of this censorship was being pushed by the left.”
After noticing this, Bokhari also began to notice “lies” and “myths” like “gender being a spectrum” and “systemic racism” were also being promoted by the left.
“Once you notice one thing is off, you notice that all these other things are off as well,” he said.
In #Deleted, Bokhari wrote that algorithms are naturally right wing, but that they can be programmed to reflect their designers’ biases.
“An algorithm is … designed to take in a lot of data, analyze it and reach a conclusion. Algorithms notice patterns; that’s what they’re good at,” he told LifeSiteNews.
“But if you build a machine for noticing patterns and analyzing data dispassionately, it’s going to reach a lot of conclusions that the left won’t like,” he continued.
“They’re not going to be politically correct conclusions because the world is not politically correct.”
Teaching wokeness to algorithms
But the far-left activist-engineers who control social media are working to change that. Bokhari told LifeSiteNews that Google now has an entire department called “Machine Learning Fairness.”
“The whole field of Machine Learning Fairness is essentially an attempt to bring left-wing academics — the critical race theory types, the gender studies types — together with computer scientists to make sure that the algorithms that are being built in Silicon Valley are pre-programmed with left-wing biases, so that they don’t reach those politically incorrect conclusions, even if they’re true,” Bokhari said.
The author found this “very, very scary” because “the algorithms that control every aspect of our lives are going to be in every single business, helping people make decisions, and people are going to trust them.”
Asked about the ability of social technology to change firm opinions, Bokhari stated that, in reality, it is harder to convince a pro-life person to become pro-choice than the other way around.
“When you actually look at the images of unborn babies that you can legally abort, you can see the limbs in development, and it’s very very shocking,” he said.
“Those images are very, very dangerous to the left, which is why they’ve actually censored them.”
Big Tech doesn’t have to remove the images or other inconvenient truths; it can just move them down far enough in the search results so that seekers never find them. Ninety percent of people who do a Google search do not go beyond the first page. (Incidentally, although LifeSiteNews broke the Father Thomas Rosica plagiarism story, and has published dozens of articles about Fr. Rosica, its coverage does not appear until Google’s page 2.)
Meanwhile, protecting people from different points of view does not bring about mutual understanding or advance the truth. As Bokhari pointed out in #Deleted, “human reasoning is motivated by a desire to justify our own biases rather than to achieve an objective understanding of the world.” What corrects this, he wrote, is “mistrust”: encountering those who do not agree with your views. Faced with intellectual opposition, people have to assemble facts and arguments to support their case.
“I think censorship makes the partisan dynamic worse,” the author told LifeSiteNews, “because you need to be exposed to different points of view in order to challenge your own partisan thinking.”
“Partisanship makes people more epistemically vigilant towards the arguments of the people who are on the other side. Nobody’s perfectly objective. Partisanship is the way we critique each other. (It) can be a very useful thing when there’s an equal playing field,” he continued.
“Unfortunately, there’s not an equal playing field because one side is getting censored and the other, largely, is not.”
This is not just online, of course. Bokhari believes that academia is the “biggest echo chamber,” and that the left is so threatened by internet freedom because it challenges their “propaganda machine.” He no longer calls those distressed by conservative viewpoints “snowflakes” because “today they are the people who are burning down America’s cities, encouraging looting, attacking people, actually killing them, in some cases.”
The end of online anonymity
It took four years for Bokhari to complete #Deleted: Big Tech’s Battle to Erase the Trump Movement and Steal the Election. When LifeSiteNews asked the journalist what revelation about Big Tech shocked him the most, he had to take a moment to reflect.
“I think the one that was most shocking to me was how internet anonymity essentially doesn’t exist anymore because the technologies already exist to unmask anyone,” he said.
Even people who go to great lengths to remain anonymous online with privacy technology can be identified now because of technology that measures their typing speed, mouse movements, and writing styles.
“That is astonishing, and it’s especially scary that it’s happening at this moment in history where we have this cancel culture that’s so powerful,” Bokhari observed.
“People are having their careers and lives destroyed by having the wrong opinion. Those are the kinds of times in history when there’s a rise in political intolerance and you need anonymity the most. That’s what the Founding Fathers used in the Federalist Papers to debate the Constitution,” he continued.
“Anonymity has always been the refuge of dissident thinkers, and we’re now in a situation on the internet where people think they have anonymity but they actually don’t.”
Why does the left hate Trump so much?
One could argue that the king of wrong opinion in America right now is Donald Trump, the man Big Tech so badly wants you to vote against in the next election.
The left’s antipathy to President Trump, Bokhari believes, is based in his refusal to believe in the narratives of the “nexus of academia, woke corporations and the administrative state.” Even worse, he has a non-interventionist “America First” foreign policy that pulls back from conflicts abroad.
“That’s completely contrary to what Democrat and Republican administrations have been doing over the past 20 years,” the author said.
Trump has also been reversing Democrat and Republican policies concerning free trade, especially with China, and thwarting open borders policies that are helpful to the Democrats, as migrants positively impact their “electoral fortunes” and to Republicans backed by “big business lobbies.”
“Three very powerful challenges to the Establishment consensus that went back 30 years ago or more,” Bokhari stated.
“I always find it interesting when people say that the only time President Trump ever got good press was when he bombed Syria.”
To congratulate Allum Bokhari on his excellent research and work for internet freedom, please contact him at [email protected] or on Twitter. To order his book #Deleted directly from the publisher, please contact Center Street. Otherwise, the book can be ordered from Amazon.
Follow Dorothy Dorothy Cummings McLean is a Canadian journalist, essayist, and novelist. She earned an M.A. in English Literature from the University of Toronto and an M.Div./S.T.B. from Toronto’s Regis College. She was a columnist for the Toronto Catholic Register for nine years and has contributed to Catholic World Report. Her first book, Seraphic Singles, was published by Novalis (2010) in Canada, Liguori in the USA, and Homo Dei in Poland. Her second, Ceremony of Innocence, was published by Ignatius Press (2013). Dorothy lives near Edinburgh, Scotland with her husband.
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lifesitenews--2020-09-18--Marxist-planned ‘50-day siege’ at White House, set to begin yesterday, fizzles with empty park

WASHINGTON , D.C. , September 18 , 2020 ( LifeSiteNews ) — What if a Marxist war were declared on capitalism , the American electoral system , and the Trump presidency and no one showed up ?
That ’ s exactly what happened yesterday in the nation ’ s capital .
The violent , destructive protests in major cities across the country were expected to reach a sustained 50-day apex with thousands of protesters “ laying siege ” to the White House starting at noon September 17 and lasting until Election Day , November 3 .
But at high noon @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Lafayette Park was virtually empty .
Not a single protester had appeared .
Siege masterminds had sought to siphon energy — as well as thousands of Antifa and Black Lives Matter adherents — from the protests in Milwaukee , Seattle , Portland , Kenosha , and other cities .
In early August , Adbusters.org — an organization based in Canada that had orchestrated the Occupy Wall Street Movement and its imitators across the country in 2011 — started publishing online “ Tactical Briefings.
” The militaristic tone of the series and the “ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ to galvanize potential participants into militant action .
Not only did they hope to dislodge President Trump from the White House and install Democrats Joe Biden and Kamala Harris in his place , but they hoped to “ inspire a global movement of systemic change — a Global Spring — a cultural heave towards a new world order.
” However , the organizers of the grandiose plan began backpedaling a couple weeks ago , presumably because they realized that the destructive nature of proliferating urban civil unrest was not sitting well with the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ” to the White House might damage their cause .
Kyle Shideler , director and senior analyst for homeland security and counterterrorism at the Center for Security Policy , noted Tuesday : On September 3rd The White House Siege group ’ s tone had changed dramatically .
While still identifying itself as “ tactical briefing # 3 , ” the group now emphasized a softer face , writing , “ # WhiteHouseSiege has an ominous ring to it .
But it could turn out to be the most beautiful , festive , and @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the Revolution.
” Now instead of siege language featuring images of smoke engulfed White House , the group is releasing posters calling for “ 50 days of non-violent improvisational jazz.
” While the 50 Day White House Siege did not materialize , 50 Days of Blessing showed up at noon , filling the void in Lafayette Park .
Sponsored by Women for a Great America and joined by many ministries across the nation , the group has launched an around-the-clock vigil in Lafayette Park and will remain until the election and beyond .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ as watchmen at the governmental gate of our Nation .
Our assignment is to counter the siege with ‘ 50 Days of Blessing , ’ ’ according to the group ’ s website .
“ Our mandate is not political but spiritual.
” “ We need singers , musicians , intercessors , watchmen , volunteers , evangelists , and the entire remnant Church to convene and contend against these dark Marxist and anti-Christ ideologies , ” explains the 50 Days of Blessing website .
Andrea Lafferty , President of Women for a Great @ @ @ @ @ @ @ others will come to D.C. to join them .
“ We are here because many of us have been concerned about the lawlessness and the chaos that has grasped our nation , ” explained Lafferty .
“ We ’ re here , we ’ re setting an atmosphere , we ’ re proclaiming the Name of Jesus , ” she said .
“ We are worshipping and praying 24/7 , so please come and join us .
”

Thousands of protesters were expected to 'lay siege' to the White House starting at noon today. Here is what actually happened.
WASHINGTON, D.C., September 18, 2020 (LifeSiteNews) — What if a Marxist war were declared on capitalism, the American electoral system, and the Trump presidency and no one showed up?
That’s exactly what happened yesterday in the nation’s capital.
The violent, destructive protests in major cities across the country were expected to reach a sustained 50-day apex with thousands of protesters “laying siege” to the White House starting at noon September 17 and lasting until Election Day, November 3.
But at high noon, aside from a few tourists, Lafayette Park was virtually empty. Not a single protester had appeared.
Siege masterminds had sought to siphon energy — as well as thousands of Antifa and Black Lives Matter adherents — from the protests in Milwaukee, Seattle, Portland, Kenosha, and other cities.
In early August, Adbusters.org — an organization based in Canada that had orchestrated the Occupy Wall Street Movement and its imitators across the country in 2011 — started publishing online “Tactical Briefings.” The militaristic tone of the series and the “siege” itself were purposeful, intended to galvanize potential participants into militant action.
Not only did they hope to dislodge President Trump from the White House and install Democrats Joe Biden and Kamala Harris in his place, but they hoped to “inspire a global movement of systemic change — a Global Spring — a cultural heave towards a new world order.”
However, the organizers of the grandiose plan began backpedaling a couple weeks ago, presumably because they realized that the destructive nature of proliferating urban civil unrest was not sitting well with the American people, and “laying siege” to the White House might damage their cause.
Kyle Shideler, director and senior analyst for homeland security and counterterrorism at the Center for Security Policy, noted Tuesday:
On September 3rd The White House Siege group’s tone had changed dramatically. While still identifying itself as “tactical briefing #3,” the group now emphasized a softer face, writing, “#WhiteHouseSiege has an ominous ring to it. But it could turn out to be the most beautiful, festive, and effective uprising that America has seen since the Revolution.” Now instead of siege language featuring images of smoke engulfed White House, the group is releasing posters calling for “50 days of non-violent improvisational jazz.”
50+ Days of Blessing
While the 50 Day White House Siege did not materialize, 50 Days of Blessing showed up at noon, filling the void in Lafayette Park.
Sponsored by Women for a Great America and joined by many ministries across the nation, the group has launched an around-the-clock vigil in Lafayette Park and will remain until the election and beyond.
“God has called us to stand as watchmen at the governmental gate of our Nation. Our assignment is to counter the siege with ‘50 Days of Blessing,’’ according to the group’s website. “Our mandate is not political but spiritual.”
“We need singers, musicians, intercessors, watchmen, volunteers, evangelists, and the entire remnant Church to convene and contend against these dark Marxist and anti-Christ ideologies,” explains the 50 Days of Blessing website.
Andrea Lafferty, President of Women for a Great America, told LifeSiteNews that she hopes others will come to D.C. to join them.
“We are here because many of us have been concerned about the lawlessness and the chaos that has grasped our nation,” explained Lafferty.
“We’re here, we’re setting an atmosphere, we’re proclaiming the Name of Jesus,” she said. “We are worshipping and praying 24/7, so please come and join us.”
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lifesitenews--2020-09-18--WATCH: Student sues university after being booted from student senate for privately stating Catholic

WATCH: Student sues university after being booted from student senate for privately stating Catholic beliefs

TALLAHASSEE , Florida , September 18 , 2020 ( LifeSiteNews ) — A 21-year-old Florida State University senior ousted as president of the student senate for privately stating his Catholic beliefs in an online group chat says he has no regrets despite what befell him after his comments were leaked publicly .
Jack Denton was vilified , falsely accused , and the subject of a petition calling for his removal and an editorial labeling him “ unfit ” for office – all as part of a campaign to remove him from elected office that succeeded within the space of 48 @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Denton is now suing Florida State University ’ s administration and student government officials to get his job and his reputation back .
He and his lawyer Tyson Langhofer , director of the Alliance Defending Freedom ( ADF ) Center for Academic Freedom , spoke recently to LifeSiteNews about his experience and the significance of the case .
“ This wasn ’ t an attack just on my First Amendment right to freedom of speech or my First Amendment right to express my religious beliefs .
It ’ s an attack on everyone @ @ @ @ @ @ @ “ And if I , if a student can ’ t walk onto a public university ’ s campus and express their…mind and their religious beliefs , then no one can , ” he added .
“ We as Americans have the right to express ourselves and express our religious beliefs .
If we can ’ t express our religious beliefs , then the First Amendment doesn ’ t mean anything.
” Denton , who is graduating from FSU in December , was elected to the student senate as a freshman and held @ @ @ @ @ @ @ elected president .
“ I also take part in a Catholic club at Florida State University in which we offer prayer and encouragement to other students through our group chat , ” Denton related .
“ When one of my fellow members of the Catholic Student Union sent a message asking us to financially support causes that were contrary to our Catholic faith , I felt the need to point out the discrepancy , ” he said .
“ And without my permission , she took screenshots of what I said , and @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Senate , who then removed me from my position as Student Senate president for simply stating well-known Catholic doctrines in a private group chat in my non-official capacities as a student.
” The groups Denton advised fellow Catholics in the June 3 private group chat not to financially support were BlackLivesMatter.com , the American Civil Liberties Association , and Reclaim the Block .
“ BlackLivesMatter.com fosters ‘ a queer-affirming network ’ and defends transgenderism , ” and the ACLU “ defends laws protecting abortion facilities and sued states that restrict access to abortion @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Block “ claims less police will make our communities safer and advocates for cutting PD ’ s budgets .
This is a little less explicit , but I think it ’ s contrary to the Church ’ s teaching on the common good , ” he stated .
When it appeared his remarks had upset some participants , Denton messaged that he didn ’ t “ mean to anger anyone ” but had a duty to speak up .
“ I know this is a very emotional topic .
However , it is @ @ @ @ @ @ @ supporting when you ’ re Catholic .
If I stay silent while my brothers and sisters may be supporting an organization that promotes grave evils , I have sinned through my silence , ” he wrote .
“ I love you all , and I want us all to be aware of the truth .
As far as [ whether ] it ’ s a religious issue or not , there isn ’ t an aspect of our lives that isn ’ t religious , because God wants our whole lives and everything @ @ @ @ @ @ @ !
” When Denton ’ s messages were leaked , the student senate made a first attempt to oust him at a virtual meeting the same day , during which some senators “ mocked and misrepresented ” his remarks , according to an ADF press release .
Senator Kundhavi Gnanam falsely accused Denton of describing some people as “ grave evil ” and made a motion of no-confidence against him because , she said , “ people who have described me and my community as ‘ grave evils ’ have done it with @ @ @ @ @ @ @ emotionally but to hurt me physically , ” according to the lawsuit .
Senator Sasha Martin stated that Denton should not have even thought it was appropriate to express the Catholic Church ’ s teaching about sex in private to other Catholics , it stated .
“ I am hurt that he thought it was okay to say something homophobic in a Catholic chat thinking it was a ‘ safe space , ” Martin said .
When his opponents failed to secure the two-thirds majority needed to remove Denton , “ a public @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Senate into taking another bite at the apple , ” related the lawsuit .
A change.org petition demanding Denton ’ s removal accused him of “ transphobic and racist remarks , ” the student-run magazine The Spire ran an op-ed contended he was “ unfit ” to be president and the FSU chapters of Amnesty International and Pride Student Union called for his resignation .
“ I was shocked by…the allegations and accusations that were thrown at me , ” Denton told LifeSiteNews .
“ I would say what is especially disappointing is @ @ @ @ @ @ @ friends and allies in the Student Senate , you know , turn their backs on me pretty quickly , ” he said .
“ However , you know , I was just expressing my religious beliefs , my deeply held moral convictions to other students in a private group chat .
And I felt like I had done nothing wrong.
” By June 5 , senators aiming to oust him had enough signatures to press Denton as president to call a special senate meeting , where he was voted out .
His decision @ @ @ @ @ @ @ began the same day , Denton said , when a friend put him in contact with Langhofer .
“ I felt it was necessary to stand up to protect these rights that I hold so dear to me and [ that ] others do , and I just felt like this was … meant to be , ” he said .
The ADF lawsuit filed August 31 names as defendants FSU president John Thrasher ; Amy Hecht , vice president for student affairs ; Brandon Bowden , interim director of student governance and @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ; and Alexander Harmon , president pro tempore .
It alleges that Denton ’ s removal was an “ unconstitutional retaliation ” against his religious beliefs and that the college senior ’ s ousting caused him financial harm — the loss of about $ 850 in pay — as well as permanent reputational damage .
Denton is seeking preliminary and permanent injunctions to restore him as Student Senate president , the “ purge ” of any files referring to his removal , nominal and compensatory damages for the violation of his constitutional rights @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
On September 29 , the court will rule on their request for a preliminary injunction to restore Denton , whose term expires in October , as president and award him his back pay , Langhofer said .
The lawsuit could ultimately go to a jury trial , and the case is crucial because “ public universities really have no business punishing students simply for holding different views than their peers , ” Langhofer said .
“ As Jack said , that applies to Jack , but it applies to every student , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ for the rights of every student to feel free to share their views on a public university campus because it is supposed to be the marketplace of ideas.
” What does the First Amendment mean ?
Denton said he had no previous experience with “ cancel culture ” on campus before this happened , and that throughout the ordeal he had support from his parents , his family and his pastor .
Moreover , “ I did get quite a bit of support from the Catholic community at Florida State , ” and @ @ @ @ @ @ @ people “ whether or not they technically maybe agreed with what I said , ” he said .
“ They just recognized that this was an attack on not just my First Amendment right , but everyone ’ s First Amendment right to express their religious beliefs on campus.
” Now studying online from his home in Charlotte , North Carolina , Denton is still part of the Catholic group , and says that “ things are going well.
” He also exhorted Americans to never be afraid to speak out in defense @ @ @ @ @ @ @ encourage everyone of all faiths to always feel comfortable and feel free to express their religious beliefs , and don ’ t feel like you can ’ t or that you ’ re silenced , because no matter what , the Constitution is the law of the land , ” he told LifeSiteNews .
“ And we have the guaranteed right to freedom of speech and religion .
And if we feel like we can ’ t express our beliefs , then … that freedom could go away.
” ‘ Soft despotism ’ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Archbishop Student sues university for unconstitutional ‘ retaliation ’ against his Catholic beliefs

Student ousted from campus job over Catholic beliefs says: don’t be afraid to speak up
PETITION: Stand with priest who faces Church penalties for saying “You can't be a Catholic and a Democrat.”! Sign the petition here.
TALLAHASSEE, Florida, September 18, 2020 (LifeSiteNews) — A 21-year-old Florida State University senior ousted as president of the student senate for privately stating his Catholic beliefs in an online group chat says he has no regrets despite what befell him after his comments were leaked publicly.
Jack Denton was vilified, falsely accused, and the subject of a petition calling for his removal and an editorial labeling him “unfit” for office – all as part of a campaign to remove him from elected office that succeeded within the space of 48 hours.
But that could change because Denton is now suing Florida State University’s administration and student government officials to get his job and his reputation back.
He and his lawyer Tyson Langhofer, director of the Alliance Defending Freedom (ADF) Center for Academic Freedom, spoke recently to LifeSiteNews about his experience and the significance of the case.
“This wasn’t an attack just on my First Amendment right to freedom of speech or my First Amendment right to express my religious beliefs. It’s an attack on everyone’s,” said Denton.
“And if I, if a student can’t walk onto a public university’s campus and express their…mind and their religious beliefs, then no one can,” he added.
“We as Americans have the right to express ourselves and express our religious beliefs. If we can’t express our religious beliefs, then the First Amendment doesn’t mean anything.”
BLM, ACLU promote ‘grave evils’: Denton
Denton, who is graduating from FSU in December, was elected to the student senate as a freshman and held a number of leadership roles before being elected president.
“I also take part in a Catholic club at Florida State University in which we offer prayer and encouragement to other students through our group chat,” Denton related.
“When one of my fellow members of the Catholic Student Union sent a message asking us to financially support causes that were contrary to our Catholic faith, I felt the need to point out the discrepancy,” he said.
“And without my permission, she took screenshots of what I said, and sent them to members of the Student Senate, who then removed me from my position as Student Senate president for simply stating well-known Catholic doctrines in a private group chat in my non-official capacities as a student.”
The groups Denton advised fellow Catholics in the June 3 private group chat not to financially support were BlackLivesMatter.com, the American Civil Liberties Association, and Reclaim the Block.
“BlackLivesMatter.com fosters ‘a queer-affirming network’ and defends transgenderism,” and the ACLU “defends laws protecting abortion facilities and sued states that restrict access to abortion,” he wrote.
Reclaim the Block “claims less police will make our communities safer and advocates for cutting PD’s budgets. This is a little less explicit, but I think it’s contrary to the Church’s teaching on the common good,” he stated.
When it appeared his remarks had upset some participants, Denton messaged that he didn’t “mean to anger anyone” but had a duty to speak up.
“I know this is a very emotional topic. However, it is important to know what you’re supporting when you’re Catholic. If I stay silent while my brothers and sisters may be supporting an organization that promotes grave evils, I have sinned through my silence,” he wrote.
“I love you all, and I want us all to be aware of the truth. As far as [whether] it’s a religious issue or not, there isn’t an aspect of our lives that isn’t religious, because God wants our whole lives and everything we do to be oriented around him!”
Denton falsely accused, called “transphobic, racist”
When Denton’s messages were leaked, the student senate made a first attempt to oust him at a virtual meeting the same day, during which some senators “mocked and misrepresented” his remarks, according to an ADF press release.
Senator Kundhavi Gnanam falsely accused Denton of describing some people as “grave evil” and made a motion of no-confidence against him because, she said, “people who have described me and my community as ‘grave evils’ have done it with the intention to not only hurt me emotionally but to hurt me physically,” according to the lawsuit.
Senator Sasha Martin stated that Denton should not have even thought it was appropriate to express the Catholic Church’s teaching about sex in private to other Catholics, it stated.
“I am hurt that he thought it was okay to say something homophobic in a Catholic chat thinking it was a ‘safe space,” Martin said.
When his opponents failed to secure the two-thirds majority needed to remove Denton, “a public campaign immediately ignited to pressure the Student Senate into taking another bite at the apple,” related the lawsuit.
A change.org petition demanding Denton’s removal accused him of “transphobic and racist remarks,” the student-run magazine The Spire ran an op-ed contended he was “unfit” to be president and the FSU chapters of Amnesty International and Pride Student Union called for his resignation.
“I was shocked by…the allegations and accusations that were thrown at me,” Denton told LifeSiteNews.
“I would say what is especially disappointing is to see so many people I considered friends and allies in the Student Senate, you know, turn their backs on me pretty quickly,” he said.
“However, you know, I was just expressing my religious beliefs, my deeply held moral convictions to other students in a private group chat. And I felt like I had done nothing wrong.”
By June 5, senators aiming to oust him had enough signatures to press Denton as president to call a special senate meeting, where he was voted out.
Ouster “unconstitutional retaliation” against Denton
His decision to lawyer up was a process that began the same day, Denton said, when a friend put him in contact with Langhofer.
“I felt it was necessary to stand up to protect these rights that I hold so dear to me and [that] others do, and I just felt like this was … meant to be,” he said.
The ADF lawsuit filed August 31 names as defendants FSU president John Thrasher; Amy Hecht, vice president for student affairs; Brandon Bowden, interim director of student governance and advocacy; Student Senate President Ahmad Daraldik; and Alexander Harmon, president pro tempore.
It alleges that Denton’s removal was an “unconstitutional retaliation” against his religious beliefs and that the college senior’s ousting caused him financial harm — the loss of about $850 in pay — as well as permanent reputational damage.
Denton is seeking preliminary and permanent injunctions to restore him as Student Senate president, the “purge” of any files referring to his removal, nominal and compensatory damages for the violation of his constitutional rights and attorney’s fees and costs.
On September 29, the court will rule on their request for a preliminary injunction to restore Denton, whose term expires in October, as president and award him his back pay, Langhofer said.
The lawsuit could ultimately go to a jury trial, and the case is crucial because “public universities really have no business punishing students simply for holding different views than their peers,” Langhofer said.
“As Jack said, that applies to Jack, but it applies to every student, and so we’re really fighting for the rights of every student to feel free to share their views on a public university campus because it is supposed to be the marketplace of ideas.”
What does the First Amendment mean?
Denton said he had no previous experience with “cancel culture” on campus before this happened, and that throughout the ordeal he had support from his parents, his family and his pastor.
Moreover, “I did get quite a bit of support from the Catholic community at Florida State,” and “a lot of sympathy” from people “whether or not they technically maybe agreed with what I said,” he said.
“They just recognized that this was an attack on not just my First Amendment right, but everyone’s First Amendment right to express their religious beliefs on campus.”
Now studying online from his home in Charlotte, North Carolina, Denton is still part of the Catholic group, and says that “things are going well.”
He also exhorted Americans to never be afraid to speak out in defense of their beliefs.
“I would encourage everyone of all faiths to always feel comfortable and feel free to express their religious beliefs, and don’t feel like you can’t or that you’re silenced, because no matter what, the Constitution is the law of the land,” he told LifeSiteNews.
“And we have the guaranteed right to freedom of speech and religion. And if we feel like we can’t express our beliefs, then … that freedom could go away.”
For respectful communications, contact:
FSU President John Thrasher
211 Westcott Building
Florida State University
Tallahassee, FL 32306-1470
Phone: 850.644.1085
[email protected]
FSU Vice President of Student Affairs Amy Hecht, Ed.D.
313 Westcott Building
Florida State University
Tallahassee, FL 32306-1340
(850) 644-5590
[email protected]
Related:
‘Soft despotism’ emerging against Catholics in the US: Archbishop
Student sues university for unconstitutional ‘retaliation’ against his Catholic beliefs
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lifesitenews--2020-09-18--Democrat tactics amount to a full-blown ‘coup’ against Trump, professor says

September 18 , 2020 ( LifeSiteNews ) – The various attempts to force President Donald Trump out of office during his first term have all the hallmarks of the sort of “ coup ” intelligence agencies would engineer to topple hostile foreign regimes , according to former Duke University professor and Trump speechwriter Darren Beattie .
Beattie told Fox News ’ Tucker Carlson on Tuesday evening that “ what ’ s unfolding before our eyes is a very specific type of coup called a Color Revolution , '' a type of “ regime change model favored by many in our @ @ @ @ @ @ @ European countries to overthrow target regimes they do n't like . ''
The chief characteristic of such a revolution , he said , is a “ combination of an engineered contested-election scenario combined with massive mobilized protests , which they call as a term of art ‘ peaceful protests , ’ and acts of civil disobedience.
” Ever since Trump won the election in 2016 , Democrats and left-wing activists have labeled him “ illegitimate ” and “ authoritarian ” on a near-daily basis , fueling the push to impeach him that dominated @ @ @ @ @ @ @ failure in February .
The far-left groups Antifa and Black Lives Matter ( BLM ) , meanwhile , have organized protests across the country over various forms of “ oppression ” that allegedly span from countless police departments all the way to the White House .
Many of these protests have turned violent , often provoking a law enforcement response which the Left has in turn framed as an authoritarian vindication of their original claims .
“ If that sounds familiar , it gets even better , ” Beattie went on .
“ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ strategies and tactics used against Trump as used against eastern European dictators that our national security apparatus doesn ’ t like .
It ’ s literally the same people , who are Color Revolution professionals , who have a long history of using these same tactics against foreign leaders they don ’ t like.
” One of the “ key figures , ” he said , is Norm Eisen , a Democrat operative who was an “ ethics czar ” in the Obama administration .
Beattie calls Eisen `` the key architect of @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , impeach , and overthrow the president , '' citing his role in no less than 180 lawsuits against the current president , and authorship of ten articles of impeachment – which predate the infamous phone conversations with Ukrainian leaders over which Trump was actually impeached .
Beattie noted that Eisen has even written ( in the context of overseas coups ) about “ engineering election fraud scenarios ” to “ engineer mass protests to question the legitimacy of the target leader.
” Ample evidence suggests that fears about election integrity are very @ @ @ @ @ @ @ elections commissioner Alan Schulkin , a Democrat , admitting in 2016 that vote fraud is widespread ; to a New Jersey judge vacating the results of a city council election over charges of election fraud last month ; to a former Democrat ballot “ fixer ” explaining mail-in ballots have been manipulated on a “ grand scale ” for “ decades.
” “ Norm Eisen , remember the name , ” Carlson agreed , at the end of the interview .

The former speechwriter described overthrow attempts a 'combination of an engineered contested-election scenario combined with massive mobilized protests, which they call as a term of art ‘peaceful protests,’ and acts of civil disobedience.'
September 18, 2020 (LifeSiteNews) – The various attempts to force President Donald Trump out of office during his first term have all the hallmarks of the sort of “coup” intelligence agencies would engineer to topple hostile foreign regimes, according to former Duke University professor and Trump speechwriter Darren Beattie.
Beattie told Fox News’ Tucker Carlson on Tuesday evening that “what’s unfolding before our eyes is a very specific type of coup called a Color Revolution,” a type of “regime change model favored by many in our national security apparatus, particularly against eastern European countries to overthrow target regimes they don't like.”
The chief characteristic of such a revolution, he said, is a “combination of an engineered contested-election scenario combined with massive mobilized protests, which they call as a term of art ‘peaceful protests,’ and acts of civil disobedience.”
Ever since Trump won the election in 2016, Democrats and left-wing activists have labeled him “illegitimate” and “authoritarian” on a near-daily basis, fueling the push to impeach him that dominated much of last year and ended in failure in February. The far-left groups Antifa and Black Lives Matter (BLM), meanwhile, have organized protests across the country over various forms of “oppression” that allegedly span from countless police departments all the way to the White House.
Many of these protests have turned violent, often provoking a law enforcement response which the Left has in turn framed as an authoritarian vindication of their original claims.
“If that sounds familiar, it gets even better,” Beattie went on. “It’s not only the same strategies and tactics used against Trump as used against eastern European dictators that our national security apparatus doesn’t like. It’s literally the same people, who are Color Revolution professionals, who have a long history of using these same tactics against foreign leaders they don’t like.”
One of the “key figures,” he said, is Norm Eisen, a Democrat operative who was an “ethics czar” in the Obama administration. Beattie calls Eisen “the key architect of nearly every effort to censor, sue, impeach, and overthrow the president,” citing his role in no less than 180 lawsuits against the current president, and authorship of ten articles of impeachment – which predate the infamous phone conversations with Ukrainian leaders over which Trump was actually impeached.
Beattie noted that Eisen has even written (in the context of overseas coups) about “engineering election fraud scenarios” to “engineer mass protests to question the legitimacy of the target leader.”
Ample evidence suggests that fears about election integrity are very real, from former New York City elections commissioner Alan Schulkin, a Democrat, admitting in 2016 that vote fraud is widespread; to a New Jersey judge vacating the results of a city council election over charges of election fraud last month; to a former Democrat ballot “fixer” explaining mail-in ballots have been manipulated on a “grand scale” for “decades.”
“Norm Eisen, remember the name,” Carlson agreed, at the end of the interview.
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lifesitenews--2020-09-18--Federal judge rules Pennsylvania governor’s COVID-19 restrictions unconstitutional

PITTSBURGH , Pennsylvania , September 17 , 2020 ( LifeSiteNews ) — A federal judge has ruled that Pennsylvania ’ s coronavirus lockdown measures imposed by Governor Tom Wolf and his state health secretary , Dr. “ Rachel ” Levine , went too far and ruled them unconstitutional .
The decision was made Monday by U.S. district judge William Stickman IV .
In his ruling , Stickman said the state limit on gatherings of 25 people indoors and 250 outdoors violates the First Amendment .
Stickman also ruled that the state ’ s stay-at-home orders and the forced closing of @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Amendment .
In his 66-page ruling , Stickman went on to say that although “ this country has faced , and will face , emergencies of every sort , ” the solution to a crisis on a national scale “ can never be permitted to supersede the commitment to individual liberty that stands as the foundation of the American experiment.
” “ The Constitution can not accept the concept of a ‘ new normal ’ where the basic liberties of the people can be subordinated to open-ended emergency mitigation measures , ” wrote @ @ @ @ @ @ @ sets certain lines that may not be crossed , even in an emergency .
Actions taken by defendants crossed those lines .
It is the duty of the court to declare those actions unconstitutional.
” Stickman wrote that while he believes that the “ defendants undertook their actions in a well-intentioned effort to protect Pennsylvanians from the virus , ” even in an emergency , “ the authority of government is not unfettered .
The liberties protected by the Constitution are not fair-weather freedoms — in place when times are good but able @ @ @ @ @ @ @ trouble.
” Wolf has said he will file an appeal to Stickman ’ s ruling and will also seek a stay that would momentarily block his verdict .
The lawsuit against Wolf ’ s coronavirus restrictions was made in May by the Pennsylvania counties of Butler , Greene , Fayette , and Washington .
The four western Pennsylvania counties listed as plaintiffs in the suit said Wolf ’ s and Levine ’ s coronavirus restrictions were unconstitutional .
United States president Donald Trump , who appointed Stickman as a federal judge in 2019 @ @ @ @ @ @ @ show his support of his ruling .
“ Congratulations Pennsylvania .
Now we await the decision on the Rigged Ballot Scam , which is so bad for our Country !
” wrote Trump on Twitter .
Trump also retweeted multiple media reports of the news regarding Stickman ’ s ruling throughout the day .
An attorney for the plaintiffs , Thomas E. Breth , was quoted as saying in an Action News 4 ( Pittsburgh ) report , `` This ruling stands for the proposition that even in a pandemic , the citizens @ @ @ @ @ @ @ forfeit their constitutionally protected rights.
” Another attorney for the plaintiffs , Thomas W. King III , said in the Action News 4 report that you can ’ t “ tell 13 million Pennsylvanians that they have to stay home .
That 's not America .
It never was .
That order was horrible.
” Stickman ’ s ruling does not apply to mask mandates in place in Pennsylvania , nor does it cover occupancy limits at bars , restaurants , and beauty salons .
Wolf has drawn the ire of conservatives in @ @ @ @ @ @ @ fall of 2019 , Wolf vetoed House Bill 321 that would have banned abortions for children with Down syndrome , except in cases of rape , incest , or medical emergency after it was passed by the state ’ s Senate .
In 2017 , Wolf vetoed a bipartisan bill that would have protected preborn babies from late-term as well as dismemberment abortion .

'The Constitution cannot accept the concept of a 'new normal,'' the judge wrote, 'where the basic liberties of the people can be subordinated to open-ended emergency mitigation measures.'
PITTSBURGH, Pennsylvania, September 17, 2020 (LifeSiteNews) — A federal judge has ruled that Pennsylvania’s coronavirus lockdown measures imposed by Governor Tom Wolf and his state health secretary, Dr. “Rachel” Levine, went too far and ruled them unconstitutional.
The decision was made Monday by U.S. district judge William Stickman IV.
In his ruling, Stickman said the state limit on gatherings of 25 people indoors and 250 outdoors violates the First Amendment.
Stickman also ruled that the state’s stay-at-home orders and the forced closing of “non-life-sustaining” businesses violate the Fourteenth Amendment.
In his 66-page ruling, Stickman went on to say that although “this country has faced, and will face, emergencies of every sort,” the solution to a crisis on a national scale “can never be permitted to supersede the commitment to individual liberty that stands as the foundation of the American experiment.”
“The Constitution cannot accept the concept of a ‘new normal’ where the basic liberties of the people can be subordinated to open-ended emergency mitigation measures,” wrote Stickman.
“Rather, the Constitution sets certain lines that may not be crossed, even in an emergency. Actions taken by defendants crossed those lines. It is the duty of the court to declare those actions unconstitutional.”
Stickman wrote that while he believes that the “defendants undertook their actions in a well-intentioned effort to protect Pennsylvanians from the virus,” even in an emergency, “the authority of government is not unfettered. The liberties protected by the Constitution are not fair-weather freedoms — in place when times are good but able to be cast aside in times of trouble.”
Wolf has said he will file an appeal to Stickman’s ruling and will also seek a stay that would momentarily block his verdict.
The lawsuit against Wolf’s coronavirus restrictions was made in May by the Pennsylvania counties of Butler, Greene, Fayette, and Washington.
The four western Pennsylvania counties listed as plaintiffs in the suit said Wolf’s and Levine’s coronavirus restrictions were unconstitutional.
United States president Donald Trump, who appointed Stickman as a federal judge in 2019, took to Twitter on Monday to show his support of his ruling.
“Congratulations Pennsylvania. Now we await the decision on the Rigged Ballot Scam, which is so bad for our Country!” wrote Trump on Twitter.
Trump also retweeted multiple media reports of the news regarding Stickman’s ruling throughout the day.
An attorney for the plaintiffs, Thomas E. Breth, was quoted as saying in an Action News 4 (Pittsburgh) report, “This ruling stands for the proposition that even in a pandemic, the citizens of the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania do not forfeit their constitutionally protected rights.”
Another attorney for the plaintiffs, Thomas W. King III, said in the Action News 4 report that you can’t “tell 13 million Pennsylvanians that they have to stay home. That's not America. It never was. That order was horrible.”
Stickman’s ruling does not apply to mask mandates in place in Pennsylvania, nor does it cover occupancy limits at bars, restaurants, and beauty salons.
Wolf has drawn the ire of conservatives in Pennsylvania in the past.
In the fall of 2019, Wolf vetoed House Bill 321 that would have banned abortions for children with Down syndrome, except in cases of rape, incest, or medical emergency after it was passed by the state’s Senate. In 2017, Wolf vetoed a bipartisan bill that would have protected preborn babies from late-term as well as dismemberment abortion.
Contact information:
Office of the Governor Tom Wolf
508 Main Capitol Building
Harrisburg, PA 17120
Phone: 717-787-2500
Online Form: https://www.governor.pa.gov/contact/#OnlineForm
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lifesitenews--2020-09-18--Barr calls COIVD lockdowns ‘greatest intrusion on civil liberties’ since slavery

HILLSDALE , Michigan , September 18 , 2020 ( LifeSiteNews ) – The COVID-19 lockdowns imposed across the country are one of the “ greatest intrusion ( s ) on civil liberties in American history , ” U.S. Attorney General William Barr said Wednesday .
Barr was addressing students at Hillsdale College for Constitution Day .
In comments that were not part of his prepared remarks , he compared a national lockdown with “ house arrest , ” and said “ other than slavery , which was a different kind of restraint , this is the greatest intrusion on civil @ @ @ @ @ @ @ reported .
Barr ’ s comments ( which CNN and other left-wing outlets have misquoted as claiming lockdowns are worse than slavery ) are the latest stand the Trump administration ’ s top cop has taken against government overreach in the name of containing the coronavirus .
In April , he directed the Justice Department to monitor the states for emergency measures that cross the line “ from an appropriate exercise of authority to stop the spread of COVID-19 into an overbearing infringement of constitutional and statutory protections.
” Elsewhere in the speech @ @ @ @ @ @ @ holding the federal prosecutorial apparatus to clear , objective standards .
“ Name one successful organization where the lowest level employees ’ decisions are deemed sacrosanct .
There aren ’ t any , ” he said .
“ Letting the most junior members set the agenda might be a good philosophy for a Montessori preschool , but it ’ s no way to run a federal agency .
Good leaders at the Justice Department—as at any organization—need to trust and support their subordinates .
But that does not mean blindly deferring to whatever @ @ @ @ @ @ @ This criminalization of politics is not healthy , ” he went on .
“ The criminal law is supposed to be reserved for the most egregious misconduct — conduct so bad that our society has decided it requires serious punishment , up to and including being locked away in a cage .
These tools are not built to resolve political disputes and it would be a decidedly bad development for us to go the way of third world nations where new administrations routinely prosecute their predecessors for various ill-defined crimes against the state @ @ @ @ @ @ @ political losers is not the stuff of a mature democracy .
”

HILLSDALE, Michigan, September 18, 2020 (LifeSiteNews) – The COVID-19 lockdowns imposed across the country are one of the “greatest intrusion(s) on civil liberties in American history,” U.S. Attorney General William Barr said Wednesday.
Barr was addressing students at Hillsdale College for Constitution Day. In comments that were not part of his prepared remarks, he compared a national lockdown with “house arrest,” and said “other than slavery, which was a different kind of restraint, this is the greatest intrusion on civil liberties in American history,” CNN reported.
Barr’s comments (which CNN and other left-wing outlets have misquoted as claiming lockdowns are worse than slavery) are the latest stand the Trump administration’s top cop has taken against government overreach in the name of containing the coronavirus.
In April, he directed the Justice Department to monitor the states for emergency measures that cross the line “from an appropriate exercise of authority to stop the spread of COVID-19 into an overbearing infringement of constitutional and statutory protections.”
Elsewhere in the speech, Barr elaborated on the importance of holding the federal prosecutorial apparatus to clear, objective standards.
“Name one successful organization where the lowest level employees’ decisions are deemed sacrosanct. There aren’t any,” he said. “Letting the most junior members set the agenda might be a good philosophy for a Montessori preschool, but it’s no way to run a federal agency. Good leaders at the Justice Department—as at any organization—need to trust and support their subordinates. But that does not mean blindly deferring to whatever those subordinates want to do.”
“This criminalization of politics is not healthy,” he went on. “The criminal law is supposed to be reserved for the most egregious misconduct — conduct so bad that our society has decided it requires serious punishment, up to and including being locked away in a cage. These tools are not built to resolve political disputes and it would be a decidedly bad development for us to go the way of third world nations where new administrations routinely prosecute their predecessors for various ill-defined crimes against the state. The political winners ritually prosecuting the political losers is not the stuff of a mature democracy.”
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