lifesitenews--2020-05-21--Why good art and reverent practice are not the key to restoring Catholic liturgy

May 21 , 2020 ( LifeSiteNews ) – A friend expressed his concerns about my strong advocacy of the traditional Latin Mass and my ongoing critique of the liturgical reform .
He asked me why it was not sufficient to enrich the reformed Mass with elements of Catholic tradition bit by bit , as occasion allows .
He also asked what is the basis of my skepticism of Church authority and whether I am not at risk of rejecting it in a Protestant fashion .
Thank you for your letter , and especially for your friendly words and concerns .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ ’ s a good thing , as far as it goes , when Catholics can be exposed to elements of tradition—be it chant , beautiful hymnody or polyphony , male altar servers properly vested , Mass ad orientem , communion on the tongue kneeling , etc.—wherever and whenever they attend church .
These things are part of our patrimony and form us in the true Faith .
At the same time , the relatively isolated and dissociated condition of these elements in postconciliar Catholicism makes them rather like flotsam and jetsam left from @ @ @ @ @ @ @ They are found all together—at home , in their original configuration , harmony , and unanimity—in the traditional liturgical rites of the Church , Eastern and Western .
That is what I argue in my lecture “ Beyond ‘ Smells and Bells ’ : Why We Need the Objective Content of the Usus Antiquior , ” which identifies inductively the universal attributes of traditional Eucharistic rites that predate the Novus Ordo .
What we need to get back to is that traditional worship , not a modern mishmash that is missing most of @ @ @ @ @ @ @ immediately to the point before the serious deviations began—shortly after World War II , as the Liturgical Movement turned radical and lost its bearings—but the younger generations are quite open to the work of restoration , being free of the baggage carried by older folks who had to make do with what was given to them ( or not given to them ) .
The most effective evangelization in our times will be one that accentuates the wonder , beauty , and “ strangeness ” of the divine , rather than its domesticated @ @ @ @ @ @ @ s hard for me to see how , within the Novus Ordo world , there could ever be the effective determination , organization , clarity of vision , and episcopal support to bring about what the Adoremus folks ( proponents of the “ reverent Ordinary Form ” ) envision .
Outside of rare outposts , the project is more of a sinking ship than a vessel yet untested .
If I had to place bets , they ’ d all be on the traditional Mass—not just because I love it , but because @ @ @ @ @ @ @ If it weathered an attempt to suppress it utterly by the most powerful institution in the world claiming to act in the name of God and demanding blind obedience , it can obviously weather anything else that modernity or postmodernity has thrown or could throw at it .
May I differ respectfully with you about nomenclature ?
You objected to my use of the phrases “ Novus Ordo ” and “ new Mass.
” Yet Pope Paul VI in 1965 ( and it was not the only time ) gave a papal audience @ @ @ @ @ @ @ missal with the word “ new ” eleven times : “ new , startling , changed ” ; “ new order ” ( =Novus Ordo ) ; “ new scheme of things ” ; “ new liturgical books ” ; “ new form ” ( twice ) ; “ new liturgy ” ( twice ) ; “ new habit ” ; “ liturgical innovation.
” Here we have a pope identifying the interim missal of 1965 as a novel thing , when it was vastly less of a novelty than the missal of @ @ @ @ @ @ @ used a whole barrage of similar words to characterize the Novus Ordo , and in 1976 he went ahead and used the phrase “ Novus Ordo Missae.
” This whole way of speaking derives from Pope Paul VI himself , and I see no reason not to follow his accurate descriptions .
To the objection that “ it is already fifty years old , ” I would merely point out that fifty years is a miniscule 3.125 % of the 1,600-year history of the Roman rite .
While the handiwork of Paul VI @ @ @ @ @ @ @ life of a single man , it is shiny new in comparison with the millennium-and-a-half arc of the Western liturgy ’ s continuous development .
You and I are both musicians strongly shaped by the pursuit of the beautiful .
We have composed a lot of music for the reformed liturgy .
I ’ ve composed as much in English as I have in Latin , and my English music will almost never be used at a TLM .
The fact is , the art of music was my “ hiding place ” @ @ @ @ @ @ @ I found refuge from the pain of the knowledge I had acquired by studying the history and theology of liturgy .
There came a point when I had to admit that fine art , however captivating , was simply not enough to address the root problem ; it was like wrapping a bandage around a severed limb , expecting it to regenerate .
The bandage may staunch the blood , but it will not restore integrity to the damaged body , nor functionality where the limb is missing .
This by no means @ @ @ @ @ @ @ art , or its power to move , to edify , to elevate ; and to that extent , I admire what good Catholic composers , architects , and other artists are doing to improve the “ tone ” of the Novus Ordo .
But when I look at the larger picture , I see this kind of endeavor as a rickety bridge that leads from a flawed reform back to a full inheritance .
Even though I consider the reformed rites to be defective and harmful , I also acknowledge that they @ @ @ @ @ @ @ grace for individuals .
As St. Augustine and St. Thomas clearly teach us , following Scripture , the Lord always brings good from evil .
So in my view of things , it is possible both to disagree with the reform and to accept that it has been a vehicle of grace for some—although it has been an occasion of sin for many others , beginning with its architects , who sinned gravely against the virtue of piety for tradition .
You then raise the million-dollar question : What are we to make @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Has it been asleep at the wheel ?
Has it been undermining the very Church it is supposed to support and serve ?
Are we ever justified in setting ourselves against what ecclesiastical authorities have determined to be best for us in the realm of the liturgy—or does that make us renegades driven by private judgment ?
One of the hardest things for me in my life as a Catholic has been coming to grips with the problem of major failures on the part of Catholic bishops .
Minor failings have we all @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ; but we are looking at a double systemic abuse : abuse of the liturgical inheritance and abuse of the most innocent and vulnerable of the Lord ’ s people .
These are , regrettably , related to one another , as I discuss in this article .
Take someone like Rembert Weakland , who was both a major figure in the liturgical reform and , as we later discovered , an active homosexual ; and he is far from alone .
I think it is part of a difficult renunciation to be @ @ @ @ @ @ @ popes truly possess their offices , and without contumaciously or pertinaciously disobeying them in those matters over which they have legitimate authority—that serious errors and crimes have been committed , from which we must recover , and that we have a duty to resist those who espouse them ( e.g.
, bishops who forbid Catholics from receiving Our Lord on the tongue ) .
The Lord has raised up many laity to lead this effort , and there are good priests and bishops in the same movement of true reform , which means @ @ @ @ @ @ @ return to form , that is , an intensification of discipline , not its relaxation .
In a way one could not have predicted solely on the basis of a neo-scholastic conception of how church authority works , it seems not only possible but undeniably true that major deviations have occurred through the abusive exercise of that authority .
It has proved necessary and salutary for members of Christ ’ s flock not only to refuse to follow certain directives , but also to actively oppose them .
Even Summorum Pontificum , the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ think Benedict XVI was merely clearing up some unfortunate misunderstanding , is the result of decades of struggle in which laity and lower clergy were pitted against a hierarchy determined to crush them ( and that is no exaggeration , as Leo Darroch ’ s book shows in horrific detail ) .
It was during the Protestant Revolt that reformers first took it upon themselves to construct liturgies according to their own doctrines and perceptions of what their contemporaries “ needed ” ( as Michael Davies brilliantly demonstrates in Cranmer ’ s Godly @ @ @ @ @ @ @ 1960s acted in quite the same manner , producing rites in a way no Catholic rite had ever been produced in the history of the Church—more like test tube babies than children conceived in natural wedlock .
In a bitter irony , the ones who acted like Protestants were the liturgical reformers working for the Vatican , not the Catholics who held fast to the stable tradition that perfectly expresses the dogmatic teaching of the Bible and the ecumenical Councils .
I am not convinced that , in being asked to accept such @ @ @ @ @ @ @ is not being asked to act against a well-informed conscience .
It seems to me something like intellectual suicide to accept that what Bugnini & Co. , Ltd. , have given us is in harmony with the foregoing tradition .
We are dealing here with a mysterium iniquitatis that beggars belief , but is nevertheless compassed within the kenosis and victory of Christ as we move towards the end times .
May the Lord lead us forward along the path of a tradition received in humility , cultivated in love , and enriched @ @ @ @ @ @ @ and Catholic culture .

What we need to get back to is that traditional worship, not a modern mishmash that is missing most of those attributes.
May 21, 2020 (LifeSiteNews) – A friend expressed his concerns about my strong advocacy of the traditional Latin Mass and my ongoing critique of the liturgical reform. He asked me why it was not sufficient to enrich the reformed Mass with elements of Catholic tradition bit by bit, as occasion allows. He also asked what is the basis of my skepticism of Church authority and whether I am not at risk of rejecting it in a Protestant fashion.
Dear N.,
Thank you for your letter, and especially for your friendly words and concerns.
I am on record saying that it’s a good thing, as far as it goes, when Catholics can be exposed to elements of tradition—be it chant, beautiful hymnody or polyphony, male altar servers properly vested, Mass ad orientem, communion on the tongue kneeling, etc.—wherever and whenever they attend church. These things are part of our patrimony and form us in the true Faith.
At the same time, the relatively isolated and dissociated condition of these elements in postconciliar Catholicism makes them rather like flotsam and jetsam left from the titanic wreck of the 1960s. They are found all together—at home, in their original configuration, harmony, and unanimity—in the traditional liturgical rites of the Church, Eastern and Western. That is what I argue in my lecture “Beyond ‘Smells and Bells’: Why We Need the Objective Content of the Usus Antiquior,” which identifies inductively the universal attributes of traditional Eucharistic rites that predate the Novus Ordo. What we need to get back to is that traditional worship, not a modern mishmash that is missing most of those attributes.
Not all can return immediately to the point before the serious deviations began—shortly after World War II, as the Liturgical Movement turned radical and lost its bearings—but the younger generations are quite open to the work of restoration, being free of the baggage carried by older folks who had to make do with what was given to them (or not given to them). The most effective evangelization in our times will be one that accentuates the wonder, beauty, and “strangeness” of the divine, rather than its domesticated familiarity and rational accessibility.
It’s hard for me to see how, within the Novus Ordo world, there could ever be the effective determination, organization, clarity of vision, and episcopal support to bring about what the Adoremus folks (proponents of the “reverent Ordinary Form”) envision. Outside of rare outposts, the project is more of a sinking ship than a vessel yet untested. If I had to place bets, they’d all be on the traditional Mass—not just because I love it, but because I think it has staying power. If it weathered an attempt to suppress it utterly by the most powerful institution in the world claiming to act in the name of God and demanding blind obedience, it can obviously weather anything else that modernity or postmodernity has thrown or could throw at it.
May I differ respectfully with you about nomenclature? You objected to my use of the phrases “Novus Ordo” and “new Mass.” Yet Pope Paul VI in 1965 (and it was not the only time) gave a papal audience in which he described the 1965 interim missal with the word “new” eleven times: “new, startling, changed”; “new order” (=Novus Ordo); “new scheme of things”; “new liturgical books”; “new form” (twice); “new liturgy” (twice); “new habit”; “liturgical innovation.” Here we have a pope identifying the interim missal of 1965 as a novel thing, when it was vastly less of a novelty than the missal of 1969/1970. In 1969, Paul VI used a whole barrage of similar words to characterize the Novus Ordo, and in 1976 he went ahead and used the phrase “Novus Ordo Missae.” This whole way of speaking derives from Pope Paul VI himself, and I see no reason not to follow his accurate descriptions. To the objection that “it is already fifty years old,” I would merely point out that fifty years is a miniscule 3.125% of the 1,600-year history of the Roman rite. While the handiwork of Paul VI may be old in terms of the life of a single man, it is shiny new in comparison with the millennium-and-a-half arc of the Western liturgy’s continuous development.
You and I are both musicians strongly shaped by the pursuit of the beautiful. We have composed a lot of music for the reformed liturgy. I’ve composed as much in English as I have in Latin, and my English music will almost never be used at a TLM. The fact is, the art of music was my “hiding place” where, for a long time, I found refuge from the pain of the knowledge I had acquired by studying the history and theology of liturgy. There came a point when I had to admit that fine art, however captivating, was simply not enough to address the root problem; it was like wrapping a bandage around a severed limb, expecting it to regenerate. The bandage may staunch the blood, but it will not restore integrity to the damaged body, nor functionality where the limb is missing.
This by no means detracts from the inherent value of well-made art, or its power to move, to edify, to elevate; and to that extent, I admire what good Catholic composers, architects, and other artists are doing to improve the “tone” of the Novus Ordo. But when I look at the larger picture, I see this kind of endeavor as a rickety bridge that leads from a flawed reform back to a full inheritance.
Even though I consider the reformed rites to be defective and harmful, I also acknowledge that they have been and can be occasions of grace for individuals. As St. Augustine and St. Thomas clearly teach us, following Scripture, the Lord always brings good from evil. So in my view of things, it is possible both to disagree with the reform and to accept that it has been a vehicle of grace for some—although it has been an occasion of sin for many others, beginning with its architects, who sinned gravely against the virtue of piety for tradition.
You then raise the million-dollar question: What are we to make of Church authority in all this? Has it been asleep at the wheel? Has it been undermining the very Church it is supposed to support and serve? Are we ever justified in setting ourselves against what ecclesiastical authorities have determined to be best for us in the realm of the liturgy—or does that make us renegades driven by private judgment?
One of the hardest things for me in my life as a Catholic has been coming to grips with the problem of major failures on the part of Catholic bishops. Minor failings have we all, and no one can escape them; but we are looking at a double systemic abuse: abuse of the liturgical inheritance and abuse of the most innocent and vulnerable of the Lord’s people. These are, regrettably, related to one another, as I discuss in this article. Take someone like Rembert Weakland, who was both a major figure in the liturgical reform and, as we later discovered, an active homosexual; and he is far from alone.
I think it is part of a difficult renunciation to be able to say—without denying that bishops and popes truly possess their offices, and without contumaciously or pertinaciously disobeying them in those matters over which they have legitimate authority—that serious errors and crimes have been committed, from which we must recover, and that we have a duty to resist those who espouse them (e.g., bishops who forbid Catholics from receiving Our Lord on the tongue). The Lord has raised up many laity to lead this effort, and there are good priests and bishops in the same movement of true reform, which means, as Martin Mosebach says, a return to form, that is, an intensification of discipline, not its relaxation.
In a way one could not have predicted solely on the basis of a neo-scholastic conception of how church authority works, it seems not only possible but undeniably true that major deviations have occurred through the abusive exercise of that authority. It has proved necessary and salutary for members of Christ’s flock not only to refuse to follow certain directives, but also to actively oppose them. Even Summorum Pontificum, the pacific tone of which might make one think Benedict XVI was merely clearing up some unfortunate misunderstanding, is the result of decades of struggle in which laity and lower clergy were pitted against a hierarchy determined to crush them (and that is no exaggeration, as Leo Darroch’s book shows in horrific detail).
It was during the Protestant Revolt that reformers first took it upon themselves to construct liturgies according to their own doctrines and perceptions of what their contemporaries “needed” (as Michael Davies brilliantly demonstrates in Cranmer’s Godly Order). The Consilium in the 1960s acted in quite the same manner, producing rites in a way no Catholic rite had ever been produced in the history of the Church—more like test tube babies than children conceived in natural wedlock. In a bitter irony, the ones who acted like Protestants were the liturgical reformers working for the Vatican, not the Catholics who held fast to the stable tradition that perfectly expresses the dogmatic teaching of the Bible and the ecumenical Councils.
I am not convinced that, in being asked to accept such rites as authoritative and Catholic, one is not being asked to act against a well-informed conscience. It seems to me something like intellectual suicide to accept that what Bugnini & Co., Ltd., have given us is in harmony with the foregoing tradition. We are dealing here with a mysterium iniquitatis that beggars belief, but is nevertheless compassed within the kenosis and victory of Christ as we move towards the end times.
May the Lord lead us forward along the path of a tradition received in humility, cultivated in love, and enriched with the fruits of centuries of fidelity and Catholic culture.
Cordially yours in Christ,
Dr. Kwasniewski
Peter Kwasniewski, Thomistic theologian, liturgical scholar, and choral composer, is a graduate of Thomas Aquinas College in California (B.A. Liberal Arts) and The Catholic University of America in Washington, DC (M.A. and Ph.D. in Philosophy). He taught at the International Theological Institute in Austria and the Franciscan University of Steubenville’s Austria Program, then helped establish Wyoming Catholic College in 2006. There he taught theology, philosophy, music, and art history and directed the choirs until leaving in 2018 to devote himself full-time to writing and lecturing. Today he contributes regularly to many websites and publications, including New Liturgical Movement, OnePeterFive, LifeSiteNews, Rorate Caeli, The Remnant, and Catholic Family News, and has published thirteen books, including four on traditional Catholicism: Resurgent in the Midst of Crisis (Angelico, 2014, also available in Czech, Polish, German, Portuguese, Spanish, and Belarusian), Noble Beauty, Transcendent Holiness (Angelico, 2017), Tradition and Sanity (Angelico, 2018), and Reclaiming Our Roman Catholic Birthright: The Genius and Timeliness of the Traditional Latin Mass (Angelico, 2020). His work has been translated into at least eighteen languages. Kwasniewski is a scholar of The Aquinas Institute in Green Bay, which is publishing the Opera Omnia of the Angelic Doctor, a Fellow of the Albertus Magnus Center for Scholastic Studies, and a Senior Fellow of the St. Paul Center. He has published over a thousand articles on Thomistic thought, sacramental and liturgical theology, the history and aesthetics of music, and the social doctrine of the Church. For news, information, article links, sacred music, and the home of Os Justi Press, visit his personal website, www.peterkwasniewski.com.
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lifesitenews--2020-05-21--Feds demand Planned Parenthood return $80 million in ill-gotten COVID-19 aid

May 21 , 2020 ( LifeSiteNews ) – Planned Parenthood Federation of America ( PFFA ) affiliates obtained $ 80 million in federal Paycheck Protection Program ( PPP ) loans meant to assist businesses impacted by coronavirus response policies , and now the federal government wants the money back .
The Small Business Administration ( SBA ) has begun notifying those 37 affiliates that organizations with more than 500 employees , such as PPFA , were not eligible for those loans , and therefore must return the money , Fox News reports .
Additionally , affiliates could face more “ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ such as criminal or civil punishment , if they are found to have knowingly made false statements on their loan applications , the SBA warned .
While action is reportedly being taken to correct the situation now , the revelation has spurred questions as to how Planned Parenthood was able to obtain the money in the first place .
“ There is no ambiguity in the legislation that passed or public record around its passage that organizations such as Planned Parenthood , whose parent organization has close to half a billion dollars in @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Paycheck Protection Program , ” said Sen. Marco Rubio ( R-FL ) .
“ Those funds must be returned immediately .
Furthermore , the SBA should open an investigation into how these loans were made in clear violation of the applicable affiliation rules and if Planned Parenthood , the banks , or staff at the SBA knowingly violated the law all appropriate legal options should be pursued.
” “ Planned Parenthood , the nation ’ s largest abortion business , tried to defraud taxpayers during the worst economic downturn since the Great Depression @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ) declared .
“ The Paycheck Protection Program is supposed to be a lifeline for small businesses , not a slush fund for Big Abortion .
The administration needs to reclaim that money and fire the bureaucrats who signed off on this scam.
” On Wednesday , Sen. Kelly Loeffler ( R-GA ) introduced the Limiting Infant Fatality and Empowering Nonprofit Organization Workforces ( LIFE NOW ) Act , which would eliminate the 500-employee limit on noprofits ’ eligibility for PPP , while at the same time disqualifying nonprofits involved in abortion from @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Program was created to keep American small businesses afloat and keep their workers on payroll amid the coronavirus pandemic , not to provide government funding for abortions , ” Loeffler said .
“ Abortion providers should n't get a dime of this taxpayer lifeline .
It is critical that Congress pass my LIFE NOW Act to lift restrictions preventing larger pro-family nonprofit organizations from receiving PPP relief and to ensure taxpayer dollars are not used to fund abortion providers.
” Planned Parenthood killed 345,672 preborn children last year while receiving more than $ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ $ 430 million in private revenue , and $ 591 million in charitable contributions .
The abortion giant is currently preparing a $ 5 million campaign to bombard election battleground states with advertising against state efforts to suspend elective abortions as part of COVID-19 emergency measures .

Affiliates could face more 'severe penalties' than just repayment, such as criminal or civil punishment.
PETITION: Demand Planned Parenthood return $80M improperly taken from coronavirus emergency fund! Sign the petition here.
May 21, 2020 (LifeSiteNews) – Planned Parenthood Federation of America (PFFA) affiliates obtained $80 million in federal Paycheck Protection Program (PPP) loans meant to assist businesses impacted by coronavirus response policies, and now the federal government wants the money back.
The Small Business Administration (SBA) has begun notifying those 37 affiliates that organizations with more than 500 employees, such as PPFA, were not eligible for those loans, and therefore must return the money, Fox News reports.
Additionally, affiliates could face more “severe penalties” than just repayment, such as criminal or civil punishment, if they are found to have knowingly made false statements on their loan applications, the SBA warned.
The money needs to be recovered and if anybody knowingly falsified applications, they need to be prosecuted
https://t.co/FKnrkHnE2P #FoxNews — Josh Hawley (@HawleyMO) May 20, 2020
While action is reportedly being taken to correct the situation now, the revelation has spurred questions as to how Planned Parenthood was able to obtain the money in the first place.
“There is no ambiguity in the legislation that passed or public record around its passage that organizations such as Planned Parenthood, whose parent organization has close to half a billion dollars in assets, is not eligible for the Paycheck Protection Program,” said Sen. Marco Rubio (R-FL). “Those funds must be returned immediately. Furthermore, the SBA should open an investigation into how these loans were made in clear violation of the applicable affiliation rules and if Planned Parenthood, the banks, or staff at the SBA knowingly violated the law all appropriate legal options should be pursued.”
“Planned Parenthood, the nation’s largest abortion business, tried to defraud taxpayers during the worst economic downturn since the Great Depression,” Sen. Ben Sasse (R-NE) declared. “The Paycheck Protection Program is supposed to be a lifeline for small businesses, not a slush fund for Big Abortion. The administration needs to reclaim that money and fire the bureaucrats who signed off on this scam.”
On Wednesday, Sen. Kelly Loeffler (R-GA) introduced the Limiting Infant Fatality and Empowering Nonprofit Organization Workforces (LIFE NOW) Act, which would eliminate the 500-employee limit on noprofits’ eligibility for PPP, while at the same time disqualifying nonprofits involved in abortion from the program.
“The Paycheck Protection Program was created to keep American small businesses afloat and keep their workers on payroll amid the coronavirus pandemic, not to provide government funding for abortions,” Loeffler said. “Abortion providers shouldn't get a dime of this taxpayer lifeline. It is critical that Congress pass my LIFE NOW Act to lift restrictions preventing larger pro-family nonprofit organizations from receiving PPP relief and to ensure taxpayer dollars are not used to fund abortion providers.”
Planned Parenthood killed 345,672 preborn children last year while receiving more than $616 million from the federal government, $430 million in private revenue, and $591 million in charitable contributions. The abortion giant is currently preparing a $5 million campaign to bombard election battleground states with advertising against state efforts to suspend elective abortions as part of COVID-19 emergency measures.
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lifesitenews--2020-05-21--Parents bring 5 kids into bank, and someone calls child services

May 20 , 2020 ( LifeSiteNews ) — Government overreach is one thing .
Over-enthusiastic government employees or jumpy law enforcement during a pandemic is another .
We can tolerate these things — at least for a while .
But when government appears to be a threat to our families , that is something else .
That is the stuff of nightmares .
This brings me to a story out of Kentucky recently reported by the libertarian publication Reason .
In early March , the parents of seven children who had recently moved to the Bluegrass State headed to the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Being recent arrivals , they took their kids along .
That ’ s when the trouble started .
According to Jim Mason of the Home School Legal Defense Association , Reason reported , “ [ b ] y the time they had returned home from their errand , a child protective services caseworker and a law enforcement officer were waiting at the door to investigate them for child abuse.
” Mason believes that this stunning overreaction is the result of widespread fear over COVID-19-based social distancing rules , and Reason obtained a copy @ @ @ @ @ @ @ that confirmed the story .
The parents , who homeschool their children , left the two oldest in the car as they headed into the bank with the other five children , which featured a COVID-19 sign on the door .
According to Jim Mason : The teller immediately interrogated Bill and Kristy about why they had brought five kids into the bank at one time .
She [ the teller ] told them they could not get within six feet of her and that they needed to take the children out .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ young to be left unsupervised by an adult , and neither she nor Bill could take them elsewhere because the couple were opening a joint account , and both had to be present .
While Bill stayed with the children away from the counter , Kristy opened the account , feeling self-conscious as the staff whispered to each other and watched her family suspiciously .
When Bill walked to the counter to show his New York ID and to sign , the bank staff asked why Bill 's and Kristy 's identifications were @ @ @ @ @ @ @ explained .
Back at home , the authorities confronted Bill and Kristy , who discovered that someone had called in an anonymous tip claiming that a mother of five had taken her children out with a man who was n't their dad , and they had bruises on their arms that indicated rough grabbing .
According to Reason , the investigator “ proceeded to question the kids away from the parents , and he made at least one of the boys take off his shirt to look for bruises .
Kristy told Mason @ @ @ @ @ @ @ same with the girls , but she objected , so he only pulled up the girls ’ sleeves and took photos.
” The investigator apparently did not wonder how a caller had spotted bruises on the arms of children wearing long sleeves in the first place .
PETITION : No to mandatory contact tracing and government surveillance for the coronavirus !
Sign the petition here .
It appears that whoever called the authorities was deliberately attempting to get the parents in trouble .
Bill and Kristy believe that it was someone who was @ @ @ @ @ @ @ had mentioned five children ( the other two having been in the car ) .
Additionally , the caller told lies specifically designed to set off warning bells , such as stating that the children appeared to have been physically abused as well as in the company of someone not their father .
The case , Reason noted , should have been cleared up quickly .
Bill ’ s driver ’ s license quickly proved that he was the father , and the reported bruises were nowhere to be found .
Unfortunately , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ incident like this is just the beginning .
Jim Mason told Reason that cases like this should be an “ off ramp , ” which means that if an investigator follows up on a call and finds nothing , he should simply leave ( take the “ off ramp . )
But instead , “ all too often investigators insist that they must robotically keep probing : opening cabinets , looking in the fridge , questioning kids .
This Kentucky investigator even questioned the family about which homeschool curriculum they were using , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the case.
” The Home School Legal Defense Association has been attempting to get legislation passed that will ensure that investigators who find no evidence of abuse or other issues simply leave the families in question alone rather than continuing to poke around .
HSLDA and other groups also want states to ban the sort of anonymous reports that had law enforcement show up at Bill ’ s and Kristy ’ s door based on deceit .
They point out that it is easy for people to weaponize the process against parents and @ @ @ @ @ @ @ case out of thin air .
As Reason noted , lawyers are working with Bill and Kristy — “ [ b ] ut the state gets 45 days to close an investigation , and Mason said it can easily get an extension , turning a time already tense with pandemic fears into a protracted period of torment.
” Jonathon ’ s new podcast , The Van Maren Show , is dedicated to telling the stories of the pro-life and pro-family movement .
In his latest episode , he interviews Scott Klusendorf about the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ of locking down the country under the guise of preventing people from getting coronavirus .
You can subscribe here and listen to the episode below :

'By the time they had returned home from their errand, a child protective services caseworker and a law enforcement officer were waiting at the door to investigate them for child abuse.'
May 20, 2020 (LifeSiteNews) — Government overreach is one thing. Over-enthusiastic government employees or jumpy law enforcement during a pandemic is another. We can tolerate these things — at least for a while. But when government appears to be a threat to our families, that is something else. That is the stuff of nightmares.
This brings me to a story out of Kentucky recently reported by the libertarian publication Reason. In early March, the parents of seven children who had recently moved to the Bluegrass State headed to the bank to open a new account. Being recent arrivals, they took their kids along.
That’s when the trouble started. According to Jim Mason of the Home School Legal Defense Association, Reason reported, “[b]y the time they had returned home from their errand, a child protective services caseworker and a law enforcement officer were waiting at the door to investigate them for child abuse.”
Follow Jonathon van Maren on Facebook
Mason believes that this stunning overreaction is the result of widespread fear over COVID-19-based social distancing rules, and Reason obtained a copy of the letter from Child Protective Services that confirmed the story. The parents, who homeschool their children, left the two oldest in the car as they headed into the bank with the other five children, which featured a COVID-19 sign on the door. According to Jim Mason:
The teller immediately interrogated Bill and Kristy about why they had brought five kids into the bank at one time. She [the teller] told them they could not get within six feet of her and that they needed to take the children out. Kristy explained that the children were too young to be left unsupervised by an adult, and neither she nor Bill could take them elsewhere because the couple were opening a joint account, and both had to be present. While Bill stayed with the children away from the counter, Kristy opened the account, feeling self-conscious as the staff whispered to each other and watched her family suspiciously. When Bill walked to the counter to show his New York ID and to sign, the bank staff asked why Bill's and Kristy's identifications were from different states, which the couple explained. Back at home, the authorities confronted Bill and Kristy, who discovered that someone had called in an anonymous tip claiming that a mother of five had taken her children out with a man who wasn't their dad, and they had bruises on their arms that indicated rough grabbing.
According to Reason, the investigator “proceeded to question the kids away from the parents, and he made at least one of the boys take off his shirt to look for bruises. Kristy told Mason that the investigator wanted to do the same with the girls, but she objected, so he only pulled up the girls’ sleeves and took photos.” The investigator apparently did not wonder how a caller had spotted bruises on the arms of children wearing long sleeves in the first place.
PETITION: No to mandatory contact tracing and government surveillance for the coronavirus! Sign the petition here.
It appears that whoever called the authorities was deliberately attempting to get the parents in trouble. Bill and Kristy believe that it was someone who was inside the bank, as the caller had mentioned five children (the other two having been in the car). Additionally, the caller told lies specifically designed to set off warning bells, such as stating that the children appeared to have been physically abused as well as in the company of someone not their father.
The case, Reason noted, should have been cleared up quickly. Bill’s driver’s license quickly proved that he was the father, and the reported bruises were nowhere to be found. Unfortunately, it is often the case that an incident like this is just the beginning. Jim Mason told Reason that cases like this should be an “off ramp,” which means that if an investigator follows up on a call and finds nothing, he should simply leave (take the “off ramp.) But instead, “all too often investigators insist that they must robotically keep probing: opening cabinets, looking in the fridge, questioning kids. This Kentucky investigator even questioned the family about which homeschool curriculum they were using, as if that had some bearing on the case.” The Home School Legal Defense Association has been attempting to get legislation passed that will ensure that investigators who find no evidence of abuse or other issues simply leave the families in question alone rather than continuing to poke around.
HSLDA and other groups also want states to ban the sort of anonymous reports that had law enforcement show up at Bill’s and Kristy’s door based on deceit. They point out that it is easy for people to weaponize the process against parents and families they dislike and conjure a nonexistent case out of thin air. As Reason noted, lawyers are working with Bill and Kristy — “[b]ut the state gets 45 days to close an investigation, and Mason said it can easily get an extension, turning a time already tense with pandemic fears into a protracted period of torment.”
Jonathon’s new podcast, The Van Maren Show, is dedicated to telling the stories of the pro-life and pro-family movement. In his latest episode, he interviews Scott Klusendorf about the fundamental flaw Klusendorf sees in the idea of locking down the country under the guise of preventing people from getting coronavirus.
You can subscribe here and listen to the episode below:
Follow Jonathon Jonathon Van Maren is a public speaker, writer, and pro-life activist. His commentary has been translated into more than eight languages and published widely online as well as print newspapers such as the Jewish Independent, the National Post, the Hamilton Spectator and others. He has received an award for combating anti-Semitism in print from the Jewish organization B’nai Brith. His commentary has been featured on CTV Primetime, Global News, EWTN, and the CBC as well as dozens of radio stations and news outlets in Canada and the United States. He speaks on a wide variety of cultural topics across North America at universities, high schools, churches, and other functions. Some of these topics include abortion, pornography, the Sexual Revolution, and euthanasia. Jonathon holds a Bachelor of Arts Degree in history from Simon Fraser University, and is the communications director for the Canadian Centre for Bio-Ethical Reform. Jonathon’s first book, The Culture War, was released in 2016.
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lifesitenews--2020-05-23--Catholic mom’s online education org helps students with intellectual, learning challenges

PALMDALE , California , May 22 , 2020 ( LifeSiteNews ) — A mother and teacher has been successfully running an online education institution to provide a learning environment especially for Catholic children with special needs in the safety of their homes .
Margaret Walsh founded Secret Garden Educational Pathways to help special needs students to learn in a Catholic environment and to make up for the ways that curricula provided by schools were failing to meet the students ’ real needs .
The website was launched in 2017 ; however , it had existed under the name Living Pictures @ @ @ @ @ @ @ from Palmdale , California , is named after the story The Secret Garden , where a young girl , Mary , finds a secret garden in ruins hidden on the grounds of a mansion .
With the help of her friends and a gardener , Mary transforms the garden into its former beauty .
In the process , she and her friends are also transformed .
Walsh maintains that students with learning disabilities are similar to a garden in disrepair .
By strengthening mental “ pathways , ” students can discover their strengths @ @ @ @ @ @ @ successful and joyful students , she said .
The Secret Garden Education Pathways seeks to help Catholic children with special needs “ go to the heart of learning ” — namely , the Catholic Faith — to further the student ’ s learning ability .
In an email to LifeSiteNews , Walsh said the first reason she decided to start this organization was the realization that students who have difficulties learning academically will also have trouble learning about the Faith .
When she worked in a secular school , Walsh taught two Catholic @ @ @ @ @ @ @ about Purgatory and learned that they knew nothing about their faith .
She realized that Catholic students with disabilities who have little knowledge of regular subjects would also likely have little knowledge of their faith .
Walsh also desired to offer students a learning environment where parents could be confident about the content and the teachers to which their children would be exposed .
In light of the LGBT agenda ’ s infiltration of schools , drag queens , sex education , and the fact that students with special needs are often more @ @ @ @ @ @ @ sees it as important to provide a learning environment for these children in the safety of their homes .
Statistics report that children with learning disabilities are significantly more likely to be molested than non-disabled children .
“ In a time when the public schools have turned into a political battlefield rife with immoral content , and Catholic private and homeschools often do n't have the means or expertise to help students with special needs , I am excited to be sharing my venture , ” Walsh said .
Special needs students are @ @ @ @ @ @ @ meaning that exposure to people and ideas “ is even more sensitive than students without learning disabilities , ” Walsh explained .
“ It is highly important , ” Walsh continued , “ to provide a very safe and healthy environment where students can improve academically , boost their confidence , learn their Faith and have no worries about the environment or interactions .
PETITION : No to mandatory vaccination for the coronavirus !
Sign the petition here .
The education center uses Catholic materials to offer “ professional remediation and therapy services @ @ @ @ @ @ @ What I am doing is different than many other people , and is often a missing piece of the puzzle that is needed for outcome success , ” Walsh told LifeSiteNews .
“ Most of the time schools are helping students by modifying the curriculum and accommodating the learning style of the student , i.e .
if Johnny is a visual learner , the teacher will write things on a whiteboard or if Johnny ca n't complete a whole math lesson , he would be allowed to do just 5 problems .
Oftentimes @ @ @ @ @ @ @ learning to live with the diagnosis with accommodations , ” she said .
“ However , we are offering the other missing piece of the puzzle through remediation and education therapy .
We are looking at the diagnosis , or the expressed weaknesses a student has , and then helping the student strengthen processing and thinking skills so that they can improve their abilities and potential and reach higher levels of success .
Instead of taking the approach , ‘ let ’ s learn how to live with this ’ , we are @ @ @ @ @ @ @ see if we can move beyond this and strengthen the mental pathways needed to learn more easily ’ .
I call it a growth mindset and we have seen so many improvements in students we work with , ” Walsh continued .
“ An analogy would be someone who injured their leg and the medical doctor says that they will always have that injury and crutches are the best way to live with it vs. a physical therapist who will help that person strengthen the injured leg so that the chances of walking @ @ @ @ @ @ @ added .
Walsh outlined a number of reasons why parents would choose her program .
1 .
They can easily access it from home and their students often feel more comfortable working from their own home .
This also means they do n't have to drive anywhere and have the rest of the family sit in the car for hours .
2 .
We are happy to bring the parents into the learning process and give them as many tools as they can to work better with their students .
3 .
For @ @ @ @ @ @ @ that offer room for discussion and exploration of the truths of the Church and stories of saints , that they may not have been able to understand before .
This is one of the things I love most about this is that we can help students explore their faith while strengthening their processing , which can be applied to any subject .
One of the reasons I founded this company is because I discovered that if students are struggling with “ common ” subjects like history and math , they are often not @ @ @ @ @ @ @ can .
4 .
We are aware of the financial constraints of many families and strive to keep the cost much lower than other therapy groups , charging less than half the rate most places charge .
5 .
When we work with students , we use our own materials initially and then often help students transition to learn how to work better within their own curriculum .
While the company is Catholic , Walsh told LifeSiteNews she is happy to work with Catholics and Protestants alike .
The company has worked with @ @ @ @ @ @ @ “ so that there is not a specifically Catholic emphasis.
” The program also uses many materials that would appeal to a wide range of beliefs , such as Aesop 's Fables , the Book of Virtues , and historical articles .
The education center helps children who struggle with reading , memory , focus , comprehension , dyslexia , dysgraphia , dyscalculia , and general learning difficulties .
It offers “ Student Booster Programs , ” helping students work one on one with specially trained teachers to overcome the students ’ weaknesses @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Literacy Program and a Decoding ( reading and spelling ) Program plus consultation with therapists .
The classes are one-on-one with teachers via online classrooms on the video conference platform Zoom .
Classes are frequent to strengthen the concepts learned , starting with daily classes for several weeks .
After an assessment , students continue with about 1–3 classes each week .
“ The kids are in the comfort and safety of their home , ” Walsh said .
“ And it is actually conducive to making more progress.
” The methods used @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
The program “ is cumulative , ” each step building upon the previous to allow students to reach their level by working through their developmental stages .
Walsh outlined how she has helped students with disabilities learn .
“ For example , we 've worked with students who could barely read when they started with us , and now they are reading the Chronicles of Narnia ( some of them ca n't put a book down now ) .
We ’ ve worked with students who had great difficulties with memory and @ @ @ @ @ @ @ what they had learned just hours previous , and now they are enjoying school , have confidence and even studying encyclicals , ” she said .
“ Though there is a wide range of how much each student can improve , we have seen very promising improvements with most of our students .
I believe this is because we are helping them strengthen their processing pathways so that the information is less corrupted due to weakness and they can truly understand.
” she added .
Parents testify that these methods help their children @ @ @ @ @ @ @ a comment posted on Secret Garden ’ s website : “ Margaret was a great addition to our homeschool this past year .
She worked with my fourteen-year-old son on a variety of things including strengthening his use of imagery , improving his retelling skills and increasing his reading comprehension .
My son really looked forward to his classes with Margaret , whose calm and patient ways seemed to decrease his anxiety .
Not only did I see improvement academically , but I also saw his confidence increase .
Thank you , Margaret @ @ @ @ @ @ @ with reading quite a lot and had never really read at grade level , ” another parent wrote .
“ He always tested very low in reading as well .
After working with Ms. Walsh intensely during a 6-week summer program , his reading ability was noticeably improved , and kept improving as the school year went on .
What has been most remarkable is seeing his most recent test results .
Marked improvement across ALL areas of testing , including the reading !
” One student wrote , “ Margaret helped me @ @ @ @ @ @ @ taught me how to picture so that I could understand what I was reading .
She also taught me different mind games , which was my favorite thing .
AND , she was a lot of fun !
”

A teacher has been successfully running an online education institution to provide a learning environment especially for Catholic children with special needs in the safety of their homes.
PALMDALE, California, May 22, 2020 (LifeSiteNews) — A Catholic teacher has been successfully running an online education institution to provide a learning environment especially for Catholic children with special needs in the safety of their homes.
Margaret Walsh, a graduate of Thomas Aquinas College with a Master's in special education, founded Secret Garden Educational Pathways to help special needs students to learn in a Catholic environment and to make up for the ways that curricula provided by schools were failing to meet the students’ real needs. The website was launched in 2017; however, it had existed under the name Living Pictures since 2015.
Garden in disrepair
The online service, run from Walsh’s location in California, is named after the story The Secret Garden, where a young girl, Mary, finds a secret garden in ruins hidden on the grounds of a mansion. With the help of her friends and a gardener, Mary transforms the garden into its former beauty. In the process, she and her friends are also transformed.
Walsh maintains that students with learning disabilities are similar to a garden in disrepair.
By strengthening mental “pathways,” students can discover their strengths and overcome their weaknesses to blossom into successful and joyful students, she said.
The ‘heart of learning’
The Secret Garden Education Pathways seeks to help Catholic children with special needs “go to the heart of learning” — namely, the Catholic Faith — to further the student’s learning ability.
In an email to LifeSiteNews, Walsh said the first reason she decided to start this organization was the realization that students who have difficulties learning academically will also have trouble learning about the Faith.
When she worked in a secular school, Walsh taught two Catholic high-schoolers. She asked them a question about Purgatory and learned that they knew nothing about their faith. She realized that Catholic students with disabilities who have little knowledge of regular subjects would also likely have little knowledge of their faith.
Walsh also desired to offer students a learning environment where parents could be confident about the content and the teachers to which their children would be exposed.
In light of the LGBT agenda’s infiltration of schools, drag queens, sex education, and the fact that students with special needs are often more at risk than other students, Walsh sees it as important to provide a learning environment for these children in the safety of their homes. Statistics report that children with learning disabilities are significantly more likely to be molested than non-disabled children.
“In a time when the public schools have turned into a political battlefield rife with immoral content, and Catholic private and homeschools often don't have the means or expertise to help students with special needs, I am excited to be sharing my venture,” Walsh said.
Special needs students are susceptible and seek to please others, meaning that exposure to people and ideas “is even more sensitive than students without learning disabilities,” Walsh explained.
“It is highly important,” Walsh continued, “to provide a very safe and healthy environment where students can improve academically, boost their confidence, learn their Faith and have no worries about the environment or interactions.
PETITION: No to mandatory vaccination for the coronavirus! Sign the petition here.
What Secret Garden offers
The education center uses Catholic materials to offer “professional remediation and therapy services” for special needs students.
“What I am doing is different than many other people, and is often a missing piece of the puzzle that is needed for outcome success,” Walsh told LifeSiteNews.
“Most of the time schools are helping students by modifying the curriculum and accommodating the learning style of the student, i.e. if Johnny is a visual learner, the teacher will write things on a whiteboard or if Johnny can't complete a whole math lesson, he would be allowed to do just 5 problems. Oftentimes this means getting a diagnosis and then learning to live with the diagnosis with accommodations,” she said.
“However, we are offering the other missing piece of the puzzle through remediation and education therapy. We are looking at the diagnosis, or the expressed weaknesses a student has, and then helping the student strengthen processing and thinking skills so that they can improve their abilities and potential and reach higher levels of success. Instead of taking the approach, ‘let’s learn how to live with this’, we are taking the approach, ‘let's see if we can move beyond this and strengthen the mental pathways needed to learn more easily’. I call it a growth mindset and we have seen so many improvements in students we work with,” Walsh continued.
“An analogy would be someone who injured their leg and the medical doctor says that they will always have that injury and crutches are the best way to live with it vs. a physical therapist who will help that person strengthen the injured leg so that the chances of walking without crutches are better,” she added.
Walsh outlined a number of reasons why parents would choose her program.
1. They can easily access it from home and their students often feel more comfortable working from their own home. This also means they don't have to drive anywhere and have the rest of the family sit in the car for hours.
2. We are happy to bring the parents into the learning process and give them as many tools as they can to work better with their students.
3. For Catholic families, we use Catholic materials that offer room for discussion and exploration of the truths of the Church and stories of saints, that they may not have been able to understand before. This is one of the things I love most about this is that we can help students explore their faith while strengthening their processing, which can be applied to any subject. One of the reasons I founded this company is because I discovered that if students are struggling with “common” subjects like history and math, they are often not understanding their Faith to the fullness they can.
4. We are aware of the financial constraints of many families and strive to keep the cost much lower than other therapy groups, charging less than half the rate most places charge.
5. When we work with students, we use our own materials initially and then often help students transition to learn how to work better within their own curriculum.
While the company is Catholic, Walsh told LifeSiteNews she is happy to work with Catholics and Protestants alike. The company has worked with Protestants in the past and modifies materials “so that there is not a specifically Catholic emphasis.”
The program also uses many materials that would appeal to a wide range of beliefs, such as Aesop's Fables, the Book of Virtues, and historical articles.
The education center helps children who struggle with reading, memory, focus, comprehension, dyslexia, dysgraphia, dyscalculia, and general learning difficulties.
It offers “Student Booster Programs,” helping students work one on one with specially trained teachers to overcome the students’ weaknesses.
The center offers a Comprehension and Literacy Program and a Decoding (reading and spelling) Program plus consultation with therapists.
Making progress
The classes are one-on-one with teachers via online classrooms on the video conference platform Zoom. Classes are frequent to strengthen the concepts learned, starting with daily classes for several weeks. After an assessment, students continue with about 1–3 classes each week.
“The kids are in the comfort and safety of their home,” Walsh said. “And it is actually conducive to making more progress.”
The methods used enable students to succeed in any subject. The program “is cumulative,” each step building upon the previous to allow students to reach their level by working through their developmental stages.
Walsh outlined how she has helped students with disabilities learn.
“For example, we've worked with students who could barely read when they started with us, and now they are reading the Chronicles of Narnia (some of them can't put a book down now). We’ve worked with students who had great difficulties with memory and comprehension, who couldn’t remember what they had learned just hours previous, and now they are enjoying school, have confidence and even studying encyclicals,” she said.
“Though there is a wide range of how much each student can improve, we have seen very promising improvements with most of our students. I believe this is because we are helping them strengthen their processing pathways so that the information is less corrupted due to weakness and they can truly understand.” she added.
‘Thank you’
Parents testify that these methods help their children to learn.
One parent wrote in a comment posted on Secret Garden’s website: “Margaret was a great addition to our homeschool this past year. She worked with my fourteen-year-old son on a variety of things including strengthening his use of imagery, improving his retelling skills and increasing his reading comprehension. My son really looked forward to his classes with Margaret, whose calm and patient ways seemed to decrease his anxiety. Not only did I see improvement academically, but I also saw his confidence increase. Thank you, Margaret!”
“Our son was struggling with reading quite a lot and had never really read at grade level,” another parent wrote. “He always tested very low in reading as well. After working with Ms. Walsh intensely during a 6-week summer program, his reading ability was noticeably improved, and kept improving as the school year went on. What has been most remarkable is seeing his most recent test results. Marked improvement across ALL areas of testing, including the reading!”
One student wrote, “Margaret helped me with a lot of things. She taught me how to picture so that I could understand what I was reading. She also taught me different mind games, which was my favorite thing. AND, she was a lot of fun!”
May 23, 2020 correction: An earlier version of this report mistakenly referred to Walsh as a mother.
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lifesitenews--2020-05-22--Conservative Party leadership candidate Karahalios banned from race again just day after court win

PETITION : No to mandatory contact tracing and government surveillance for the coronavirus !
Sign the petition here .
May 22 , 2020 ( LifeSiteNews ) – One day after a judge ruled Conservative Party of Canada ( CPC ) leadership candidate Jim Karahalios was again allowed to run in the race , the party ’ s Leadership Election Organizing Committee ( LEOC ) disqualified him as a candidate .
In a statement released Thursday afternoon , CPC spokesperson Cory Hann said the judge 's decision made it clear that the LEOC had the right to determine the fate of @ @ @ @ @ @ @ swiftly did .
“ In the decision , the judge makes clear that the authority to disqualify is reserved to the LEOC and the LEOC is in the position to determine if the conduct of Mr. Karahalios was such that he should be disqualified as a candidate , ” Hann said in the Thursday statement .
“ After a thoughtful meeting to deliberate the circumstances around the Chief Returning Officer ’ s decision in regards to Mr. Karahalios ’ conduct , the LEOC has determined that Mr. Karahalios will be disqualified from the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ less than two days after an Ontario court judge ruled that Karahalios could be allowed to re-enter the leadership race , so long as he met conditions set out by the judge within a two-week window .
Karahalios ’ lawyers said the party had disqualified him “ as a result of a complaint filed by the Erin O ’ Toole campaign requesting his disqualification.
” Karahalios sent an email to his followers in early March with the title , “ Say NO to Shariah Law .
Stop Erin O ’ Toole.
” O @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , complained publicly that Karahalios was a “ racist ” for this email .
Karahalios said Thursday on Twitter that he is still not done .
“ I am yet to be defeated in a free , fair , & democratic vote among members - how real party elxns should be decided .
Good time to reflect on @ MaximeBernier 's claims about how he supposedly `` lost '' 2017 @ CPC_HQ leadership when 6k more ballots than voters ended up in boxes .
# cdnpoli , ” said Karahalios .
He later @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , `` Take no part in the unfruitful works of darkness , but instead expose them ... For when anything is exposed by the light , it becomes visible , for anything that becomes visible is light . ''
# cdnpoli @ CPC_HQ.
” MP Derek Sloan , also a candidate in the leadership race , reacted with dismay to Karahalios ’ second disqualification .
“ The second disqualification of Jim Karahalios is disheartening and disappointing .
While Jim has a style that may not appeal to everyone , his voice undeniably resonates @ @ @ @ @ @ @ or otherwise unacceptable behaviour that clearly violates a CPC rule or directive , it is CPC members who should have the final say on who becomes their leader , ” he wrote in an email to supporters .
“ I remain 100 percent committed to promoting fair and open nomination contests , leadership contests , and policy creation , because grassroots conservatives need and deserve these things , ” he said .
Sloan said that “ grassroots democracy has always been , and must remain , the lifeblood of the Conservative Party of @ @ @

Despite the candidate's reinstatement by a judge, the party's election organizing committee disqualified him a second time over his conduct.
PETITION: No to mandatory contact tracing and government surveillance for the coronavirus! Sign the petition here.
May 22, 2020 (LifeSiteNews) – One day after a judge ruled Conservative Party of Canada (CPC) leadership candidate Jim Karahalios was again allowed to run in the race, the party’s Leadership Election Organizing Committee (LEOC) disqualified him as a candidate.
In a statement released Thursday afternoon, CPC spokesperson Cory Hann said the judge's decision made it clear that the LEOC had the right to determine the fate of Karahalios and his campaign, which they swiftly did.
“In the decision, the judge makes clear that the authority to disqualify is reserved to the LEOC and the LEOC is in the position to determine if the conduct of Mr. Karahalios was such that he should be disqualified as a candidate,” Hann said in the Thursday statement.
“After a thoughtful meeting to deliberate the circumstances around the Chief Returning Officer’s decision in regards to Mr. Karahalios’ conduct, the LEOC has determined that Mr. Karahalios will be disqualified from the leadership election.”
The second disqualification came less than two days after an Ontario court judge ruled that Karahalios could be allowed to re-enter the leadership race, so long as he met conditions set out by the judge within a two-week window.
Karahalios’ lawyers said the party had disqualified him “as a result of a complaint filed by the Erin O’Toole campaign requesting his disqualification.”
Karahalios sent an email to his followers in early March with the title, “Say NO to Shariah Law. Stop Erin O’Toole.” O’Toole, also a leadership candidate, complained publicly that Karahalios was a “racist” for this email.
Karahalios said Thursday on Twitter that he is still not done.
“I am yet to be defeated in a free, fair, & democratic vote among members – how real party elxns should be decided. Good time to reflect on @MaximeBernier's claims about how he supposedly “lost” 2017 @CPC_HQ leadership when 6k more ballots than voters ended up in boxes. #cdnpoli,” said Karahalios.
He later sent out another Twitter message, saying, “Take no part in the unfruitful works of darkness, but instead expose them… For when anything is exposed by the light, it becomes visible, for anything that becomes visible is light.” #cdnpoli @CPC_HQ.”
MP Derek Sloan, also a candidate in the leadership race, reacted with dismay to Karahalios’ second disqualification.
“The second disqualification of Jim Karahalios is disheartening and disappointing. While Jim has a style that may not appeal to everyone, his voice undeniably resonates with a great many. Barring illegal or otherwise unacceptable behaviour that clearly violates a CPC rule or directive, it is CPC members who should have the final say on who becomes their leader,” he wrote in an email to supporters.
“I remain 100 percent committed to promoting fair and open nomination contests, leadership contests, and policy creation, because grassroots conservatives need and deserve these things,” he said.
Sloan said that “grassroots democracy has always been, and must remain, the lifeblood of the Conservative Party of Canada.”
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lifesitenews--2020-05-22--NY Gov. Cuomo, under fire for nursing home deaths, blames Trump

PETITION : Demand Planned Parenthood return $ 80M improperly taken from coronavirus emergency fund !
Sign the petition here .
NEW YORK , May 22 , 2020 ( LifeSiteNews ) – As pressure mounts over his fatal decision to force nursing homes in the state to take in COVID-19 patients regardless of the danger to their elderly residents , New York Democrat Gov .
Andrew Cuomo now claims that guidance from the Trump administration made him do it .
As of May 22 , the United States is estimated to have seen more than 1.6 million COVID-19 cases , with @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
An estimated 40 percent of those deaths have come from nursing homes .
New York has been the hardest-hit state , with 29,005 deaths .
For weeks , the pro-abortion Cuomo has been under fire for ordering that nursing homes can not turn away patients diagnosed with COVID-19 , despite the fact the virus is most dangerous to the elderly .
“ Anyone who wants to ask , ‘ Why did the state do that with COVID patients in nursing homes , ’ it ’ s because the state followed President Trump @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Control ) guidance , ” Cuomo told reporters Wednesday , the New York Post reported .
“ The CDC guidance said a nursing home can not discriminate against a COVID patient.
” He added that he was motivated in part by the belief that putting the COVID-positive elderly in nursing homes instead of hospitals would keep hospitals from running out of beds .
But New York Republican Rep. Elise Stefanik disputed Cuomo ’ s rationale , the Daily Caller reported .
Stefanik explained that CDC guidelines called for the decision where to house @ @ @ @ @ @ @ case-by-case basis , factoring in the “ ability of the accepting facility to meet the recommended infection control practices , ” such as the “ ability to place residents in a designated COVID-19 care unit that is equipped with the resources and PPE to safely prevent the spread of infections.
” Writing in Newsweek , Jonathan Tobin added that other governors , such as Ron DeSantis of Florida , exercised that discretion differently from Cuomo .
DeSantis “ allowed nursing homes in his state to refuse to admit virus victims .
As a @ @ @ @ @ @ @ homes in a state with a bigger and elderly population was estimated this week to be approximately 875 — a lot less than the approximately 5,000 estimated deaths in New York nursing homes by the middle of May.
” Tobin further noted that Cuomo , acting of his own accord , initially refused to change course .
“ While Cuomo conceded at one point that he ‘ would n't put ( his ) mother in a nursing home right now , ’ he was at the same time backing up his administration 's @ @ @ @ @ @ @ It took six weeks after the state issued its order for New York to finally back down and reverse the ruling .
In the meantime , hundreds , perhaps thousands , of lives were lost.
” Many states have responded to the COVID-19 outbreak by imposing strict limits on “ non-essential ” activity , including delays of non-urgent medical procedures .
As a result , hundreds of thousands of jobs have been lost , with more than 33 million Americans filing for unemployment and studies predicting that tens of thousands of small businesses @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
Defenders of the lockdown strategy have insisted this was a necessary sacrifice to save lives , although mounting evidence suggests that the response to COVID-19 carries public-health consequences of its own .
This week , 500 doctors wrote the Trump administration warning that it is “ impossible to overstate the short , medium , and long-term harm to people ’ s health with a continued shutdown , ” and that “ millions of casualties … will be hiding in plain sight , but they will be called alcoholism , homelessness , suicide @ @ @ @ @ @ @ kidney failure.
” A growing number of medical experts also argue that , in light of the fact that COVID-19 primarily affects the elderly and immunocompromised but poses relatively little risk to the young , policymakers should pursue a narrower strategy of protecting the former groups while allowing the rest of society to resume normal life .
“ If we focus on the elderly , we will bring a death rate that is likely no more than 1 percent down to fractions of a percent , ” said Dr. Donald Yealy , chair @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Pittsburgh Medical Center .
Readers can click here for LifeSiteNews ’ live updates on the coronavirus and its impact all over the world .

While the pro-abortion governor claimed he followed the president's guidance, a NY congresswoman said that's simply not the case.
PETITION: Demand Planned Parenthood return $80M improperly taken from coronavirus emergency fund! Sign the petition here.
NEW YORK, May 22, 2020 (LifeSiteNews) – As pressure mounts over his fatal decision to force nursing homes in the state to take in COVID-19 patients regardless of the danger to their elderly residents, New York Democrat Gov. Andrew Cuomo now claims that guidance from the Trump administration made him do it.
As of May 22, the United States is estimated to have seen more than 1.6 million COVID-19 cases, with more than 97,000 deaths and 395,000 recoveries. An estimated 40 percent of those deaths have come from nursing homes. New York has been the hardest-hit state, with 29,005 deaths.
For weeks, the pro-abortion Cuomo has been under fire for ordering that nursing homes cannot turn away patients diagnosed with COVID-19, despite the fact the virus is most dangerous to the elderly.
“Anyone who wants to ask, ‘Why did the state do that with COVID patients in nursing homes,’ it’s because the state followed President Trump’s CDC (Centers for Disease Control) guidance,” Cuomo told reporters Wednesday, the New York Post reported.
“The CDC guidance said a nursing home cannot discriminate against a COVID patient.” He added that he was motivated in part by the belief that putting the COVID-positive elderly in nursing homes instead of hospitals would keep hospitals from running out of beds.
But New York Republican Rep. Elise Stefanik disputed Cuomo’s rationale, the Daily Caller reported. Stefanik explained that CDC guidelines called for the decision where to house elderly patients to be made on a case-by-case basis, factoring in the “ability of the accepting facility to meet the recommended infection control practices,” such as the “ability to place residents in a designated COVID-19 care unit that is equipped with the resources and PPE to safely prevent the spread of infections.”
CDC guidance was clear that decisions about discharging COVID-19 patients should be based on the ability of the accepting facility to meet the recommended infection control practices. This includes the ability to place residents in a designated COVID-19 care unit that is equipped — Elise Stefanik (@EliseStefanik) May 21, 2020
a transmission risk before accepting them. Governor Cuomo’s MANDATE requires acceptance regardless of a nursing homes capacity to safely accept COVID-19 positive cases. — Elise Stefanik (@EliseStefanik) May 21, 2020
Writing in Newsweek, Jonathan Tobin added that other governors, such as Ron DeSantis of Florida, exercised that discretion differently from Cuomo. DeSantis “allowed nursing homes in his state to refuse to admit virus victims. As a result, the death toll in nursing homes in a state with a bigger and elderly population was estimated this week to be approximately 875 — a lot less than the approximately 5,000 estimated deaths in New York nursing homes by the middle of May.”
Tobin further noted that Cuomo, acting of his own accord, initially refused to change course. “While Cuomo conceded at one point that he ‘wouldn't put (his) mother in a nursing home right now,’ he was at the same time backing up his administration's decision,” he wrote. “It took six weeks after the state issued its order for New York to finally back down and reverse the ruling. In the meantime, hundreds, perhaps thousands, of lives were lost.”
Many states have responded to the COVID-19 outbreak by imposing strict limits on “non-essential” activity, including delays of non-urgent medical procedures. As a result, hundreds of thousands of jobs have been lost, with more than 33 million Americans filing for unemployment and studies predicting that tens of thousands of small businesses that have closed down will never reopen.
Defenders of the lockdown strategy have insisted this was a necessary sacrifice to save lives, although mounting evidence suggests that the response to COVID-19 carries public-health consequences of its own. This week, 500 doctors wrote the Trump administration warning that it is “impossible to overstate the short, medium, and long-term harm to people’s health with a continued shutdown,” and that “millions of casualties … will be hiding in plain sight, but they will be called alcoholism, homelessness, suicide, heart attack, stroke, or kidney failure.”
A growing number of medical experts also argue that, in light of the fact that COVID-19 primarily affects the elderly and immunocompromised but poses relatively little risk to the young, policymakers should pursue a narrower strategy of protecting the former groups while allowing the rest of society to resume normal life. “If we focus on the elderly, we will bring a death rate that is likely no more than 1 percent down to fractions of a percent,” said Dr. Donald Yealy, chair of emergency medicine at the University of Pittsburgh Medical Center.
Readers can click here for LifeSiteNews’ live updates on the coronavirus and its impact all over the world.
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lifesitenews--2020-05-22--Young Catholics ask Australian bishops, lawmakers: ‘Please bring back Holy Mass for all’

Urgent appeal to the bishops of the world : Feed your flock !
Sign the petition here .
May 22 , 2020 ( LifeSiteNews ) – On May 21 , young Catholics in Australia published a new video in which they ask Church and state authorities to “ please bring back Holy Mass for all.
” The reason for this initiative is that , in spite of general easing of restrictions , public Masses in Australia are still being kept either forbidden or strongly restricted .
As one youth says , in South Australia , “ where there are no @ @ @ @ @ @ @ remain suspended.
” The new video with some 20 young Catholics asking for the return of Mass was organized by a young Catholic Australian named John .
He told LifeSiteNews that he was inspired by similar videos from young people in Austria , across Europe , and the U.S .
He thought “ we had to speak up as well.
” As LifeSiteNews previously reported , youth made numerous videos at the end of April of this year , asking that the Holy Mass be given back to them in their respective countries @ @ @ @ @ @ @ with the opening of the churches .
This new video points out clear injustices with regard to new rules coming in .
As one young Catholic says in the video , “ last week , New South Wales and Victoria began to reopen churches with a capacity limit of 10 worshippers including in cathedrals built to hold thousands , and many churches remain closed due to fear of the virus.
” Another young Catholic informs us that in Brisbane , “ where cafes are allowed to host up to 10 customers , public @ @ @ @ @ @ @ reminds the audience that , while “ essentials have remained available throughout this virus , ” the churches were closed .
“ What could be more essential for us Catholics than the Holy Mass ?
” he asks .
“ Please bring back the Holy Mass for all , ” these young Catholics conclude .
John , the organizer of the video , told LifeSiteNews that he was touched by the earlier videos made by young Catholics throughout the world .
They “ really capture the feelings of young Catholics at this extraordinary @ @ @ @ @ @ @ goers are being separated from Our Lord , for no justifiable reason.
” He went on to say that it was very easy for him to find collaborators among Catholics in his country – from across Catholic university student circles in Australia , with participants from most of the different states in Australia – in order to make this new video .
He especially pointed to the situation in the state of South Australia “ where they do not have a single active case of coronavirus yet all public Masses remain suspended.
” @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , ” he continued , “ also has no public Masses , despite the familiar story of department stores and cafes being deemed safe to welcome thousands.
” Cardinal Gerhard Müller , the former head of the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith , just stated in an interview with EWTN 's Raymond Arroyo that there is a danger of the virus being used in an anti-Catholic way by dictatorial states and “ some other ideological groups.
” “ We have to speak against the instrumentalization of this virus , of this @ @ @ @ @ @ @ “ some other ideological groups ” who wish to “ suppress the Church ” and promote the “ break down of the sacramental life of the Church , ” he said .
He added that the state can not forbid the Church to worship God .
“ It is absolutely contradictory to open the supermarkets and other assemblies and to close the Church , ” the German prelate explained .
He pointed out that the Supreme Court of France just told the state that in a sense of proportion and when other institutions @ @ @ @ @ @ @ too , “ must be opened.
” The French Council of State – a governmental body that plays the role of a legal advisor to the state and Supreme Court in administrative matters – had ruled that the state needed to open the churches again , due to the specific rights attached to the “ fundamental liberty ” of public worship .
It is to be hoped that the Australian authorities listen to the voices of young Catholics , as well as to those of other authorities in the world which are attentive @ @ @ @ @

Urgent appeal to the bishops of the world: Feed your flock! Sign the petition here.
May 22, 2020 (LifeSiteNews) – On May 21, young Catholics in Australia published a new video in which they ask Church and state authorities to “please bring back Holy Mass for all.”
The reason for this initiative is that, in spite of general easing of restrictions, public Masses in Australia are still being kept either forbidden or strongly restricted. As one youth says, in South Australia, “where there are no active cases of coronavirus, public Masses remain suspended.”
The new video with some 20 young Catholics asking for the return of Mass was organized by a young Catholic Australian named John. He told LifeSiteNews that he was inspired by similar videos from young people in Austria, across Europe, and the U.S. He thought “we had to speak up as well.”
As LifeSiteNews previously reported, youth made numerous videos at the end of April of this year, asking that the Holy Mass be given back to them in their respective countries and offering their practical help to assist with the opening of the churches.
This new video points out clear injustices with regard to new rules coming in. As one young Catholic says in the video, “last week, New South Wales and Victoria began to reopen churches with a capacity limit of 10 worshippers including in cathedrals built to hold thousands, and many churches remain closed due to fear of the virus.” Another young Catholic informs us that in Brisbane, “where cafes are allowed to host up to 10 customers, public Masses remain suspended.”
One young man reminds the audience that, while “essentials have remained available throughout this virus,” the churches were closed. “What could be more essential for us Catholics than the Holy Mass?” he asks.
“Please bring back the Holy Mass for all,” these young Catholics conclude.
John, the organizer of the video, told LifeSiteNews that he was touched by the earlier videos made by young Catholics throughout the world. They “really capture the feelings of young Catholics at this extraordinary situation where the vast majority of Mass goers are being separated from Our Lord, for no justifiable reason.” He went on to say that it was very easy for him to find collaborators among Catholics in his country – from across Catholic university student circles in Australia, with participants from most of the different states in Australia – in order to make this new video.
He especially pointed to the situation in the state of South Australia “where they do not have a single active case of coronavirus yet all public Masses remain suspended.”
“Brisbane, our third largest city,” he continued, “also has no public Masses, despite the familiar story of department stores and cafes being deemed safe to welcome thousands.”
Cardinal Gerhard Müller, the former head of the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith, just stated in an interview with EWTN's Raymond Arroyo that there is a danger of the virus being used in an anti-Catholic way by dictatorial states and “some other ideological groups.”
“We have to speak against the instrumentalization of this virus, of this global crisis” by dictatorial states and “some other ideological groups” who wish to “suppress the Church” and promote the “break down of the sacramental life of the Church,” he said. He added that the state cannot forbid the Church to worship God.
“It is absolutely contradictory to open the supermarkets and other assemblies and to close the Church,” the German prelate explained. He pointed out that the Supreme Court of France just told the state that in a sense of proportion and when other institutions are being opened, the churches, too, “must be opened.” The French Council of State – a governmental body that plays the role of a legal advisor to the state and Supreme Court in administrative matters – had ruled that the state needed to open the churches again, due to the specific rights attached to the “fundamental liberty” of public worship.
It is to be hoped that the Australian authorities listen to the voices of young Catholics, as well as to those of other authorities in the world which are attentive to matters of justice.
Follow Maike Dr. Maike Hickson was born and raised in Germany. She holds a PhD from the University of Hannover, Germany, after having written in Switzerland her doctoral dissertation on the history of Swiss intellectuals before and during World War II. She now lives in the U.S. and is married to Dr. Robert Hickson, and they have been blessed with two beautiful children. She is a happy housewife who likes to write articles when time permits. Dr. Hickson published in 2014 a Festschrift, a collection of some thirty essays written by thoughtful authors in honor of her husband upon his 70th birthday, which is entitled A Catholic Witness in Our Time. Hickson has closely followed the papacy of Pope Francis and the developments in the Catholic Church in Germany, and she has been writing articles on religion and politics for U.S. and European publications and websites such as LifeSiteNews, OnePeterFive, The Wanderer, Rorate Caeli, Catholicism.org, Catholic Family News, Christian Order, Notizie Pro-Vita, Corrispondenza Romana, Katholisches.info, Der Dreizehnte, Zeit-Fragen, and Westfalen-Blatt.
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