lifesitenews--2020-04-20--Govt authorities reverse ban on drive-in religious services after legal challenge

NIPAWIN , SK , April 20 , 2020 April 20 , 2020 ( LifeSiteNews ) – The Government of Saskatchewan has reversed the decision of the Saskatchewan Health Authority prohibiting drive-in religious services , and instead issued guidelines which recognize the right for churches to hold such services with appropriate safety precautions .
On Tuesday , April 14 , 2020 , the Justice Centre wrote a letter challenging the Saskatchewan Health Authority for its decision to categorize drive-in religious services as “ mass gatherings ” in violation of Saskatchewan 's Public Health Order .
Prior to Easter , the Nipawin @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Easter service , in the same format as a drive-in movie , ensuring that social distancing would be observed .
The church requested people stay in their vehicles and to listen to the service and participate in worship via their radios .
Car windows would remain closed , and people could flash their car lights instead of saying `` Amen . ''
The Saskatchewan Health Authority deemed the church 's Easter drive-in service a `` mass gathering '' in violation of the Public Health Order .
The church was forced to cancel the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the risk of the church and its parishioners being penalized with steep fines .
The Health Authority decision was ostensibly based on a concern that attendees would leave their vehicles and engage in personal interactions without social distancing .
On Saturday , April 18 , 2020 , the Saskatchewan Government released new guidelines conceding that drive-in services can occur with appropriate safety measures .
“ The Charter protects freedom of religion , association and assembly not only in good times , but also , and especially , in difficult times , ” stated @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Justice Centre for Constitutional Freedoms .
“ Given the presence of reasonable safety measures , the restriction of such assembly for religious worship is illegal .
We appreciate the Saskatchewan government ’ s reasoned and rational revision to its policies on this issue .
”

Urgent appeal to the bishops of the world: Feed your flock Sign the petition here.
NIPAWIN, SK, April 20, 2020 April 20, 2020 (LifeSiteNews) – The Government of Saskatchewan has reversed the decision of the Saskatchewan Health Authority prohibiting drive-in religious services, and instead issued guidelines which recognize the right for churches to hold such services with appropriate safety precautions.
On Tuesday, April 14, 2020, the Justice Centre wrote a letter challenging the Saskatchewan Health Authority for its decision to categorize drive-in religious services as “mass gatherings” in violation of Saskatchewan's Public Health Order.
The Justice Centre’s letter stated:
“The Covid-19 outbreak does not, however, suspend the exercise of the Charter. The restriction of public religious gatherings in which people exclusively occupy their personal vehicles on a parking lot while worshiping is irrational, unnecessary and not a minimal impairment of Charter rights.”
Prior to Easter, the Nipawin Apostolic Church had carefully planned a drive-in Easter service, in the same format as a drive-in movie, ensuring that social distancing would be observed. The church requested people stay in their vehicles and to listen to the service and participate in worship via their radios. Car windows would remain closed, and people could flash their car lights instead of saying “Amen.”
The Saskatchewan Health Authority deemed the church's Easter drive-in service a “mass gathering” in violation of the Public Health Order. The church was forced to cancel the planned drive-in church service, or face the risk of the church and its parishioners being penalized with steep fines. The Health Authority decision was ostensibly based on a concern that attendees would leave their vehicles and engage in personal interactions without social distancing.
On Saturday, April 18, 2020, the Saskatchewan Government released new guidelines conceding that drive-in services can occur with appropriate safety measures.
“The Charter protects freedom of religion, association and assembly not only in good times, but also, and especially, in difficult times,” stated Jay Cameron, Litigation Manager for the Justice Centre for Constitutional Freedoms.
“Given the presence of reasonable safety measures, the restriction of such assembly for religious worship is illegal. We appreciate the Saskatchewan government’s reasoned and rational revision to its policies on this issue.”
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lifesitenews--2020-04-20--North Carolina gov blames those protesting church closures for spreading virus ‘more easily’

RALEIGH , North Carolina , April 20 , 2020 ( LifeSiteNews ) – Lawmakers who push for the resumption of churchgoing before the COVID-19 lockdowns have been lifted are irresponsible , North Carolina Democrat Gov .
Roy Cooper claimed Friday at a news conference .
“ When people gather together and are around each other for a long time , the evidence is overwhelming that the virus can spread so much more easily , ” Cooper said , according to a Carolina Journal report .
“ Unfortunately , this has happened at churches in our state and in our country.
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ against the state ’ s stay-at-home orders are Senate Leader Phil Berger , state Sen. Jim Perry , and U.S. Rep. Dan Bishop ( NC-9 ) , all Republicans .
Perry has written Cooper requesting an exemption for religious services , and Bishop intends to lead a protest outside the Executive Mansion on Tuesday .
Some localities have more stringent lockdowns than others , with Wake County even prohibiting services for which the faithful stayed in their cars .
The county backed down from that restriction after stiff resistance , but still bars @ @ @ @ @ @ @ literature , or performing communion .
The suppression of religious exercise has been one of the focal points for resistance to the COVID-19 lockdowns across the country , along with prohibitions on peaceful protesting , even when the protestors abide by “ social distancing.
” Pro-lifers warned or punished by law enforcement include David Benham ’ s Cities4Life in Charlotte , North Carolina ; Love Life in Greensboro , North Carolina ; Andrew Belanger , Justin Phillips , and Cal Zastrow in Detroit , Michigan ; and Ron Kanopaski in San Francisco , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ in Columbia , South Carolina .
“ The problem is that his order and , more egregiously , the Wake County order , treat houses of worship differently from other establishments , ” Berger spokesman Pat Ryan said in response to Cooper .
“ There needs to be consistency .
It is patently unconstitutional to have one set of rules for one building ( such as a restaurant open for carryout orders ) , and a different set of rules for the exact same building next door if it ’ s a house @ @ @ @ @ @ @ for LifeSiteNews ’ live updates on the coronavirus and its impact all over the world .

The Democrat is being challenged by Republican lawmakers who are protesting and requesting an exemption for religious services.
RALEIGH, North Carolina, April 20, 2020 (LifeSiteNews) – Lawmakers who push for the resumption of churchgoing before the COVID-19 lockdowns have been lifted are irresponsible, North Carolina Democrat Gov. Roy Cooper claimed Friday at a news conference.
“When people gather together and are around each other for a long time, the evidence is overwhelming that the virus can spread so much more easily,” Cooper said, according to a Carolina Journal report. “Unfortunately, this has happened at churches in our state and in our country.”
Among the lawmakers to push back against the state’s stay-at-home orders are Senate Leader Phil Berger, state Sen. Jim Perry, and U.S. Rep. Dan Bishop (NC-9), all Republicans. Perry has written Cooper requesting an exemption for religious services, and Bishop intends to lead a protest outside the Executive Mansion on Tuesday.
In NC's capital city: “No communion,” “no tithes,” “no (religious) literature.” Yet the same gov't orders allow ppl to pay cash for take-out food after reviewing a menu at the local McDonalds. This is an outrageous and unconstitutional overstep of government authority. #ncpol — Senator Phil Berger (@SenatorBerger) April 16, 2020
Some localities have more stringent lockdowns than others, with Wake County even prohibiting services for which the faithful stayed in their cars. The county backed down from that restriction after stiff resistance, but still bars churches from collecting tithes, passing out literature, or performing communion.
The suppression of religious exercise has been one of the focal points for resistance to the COVID-19 lockdowns across the country, along with prohibitions on peaceful protesting, even when the protestors abide by “social distancing.” Pro-lifers warned or punished by law enforcement include David Benham’s Cities4Life in Charlotte, North Carolina; Love Life in Greensboro, North Carolina; Andrew Belanger, Justin Phillips, and Cal Zastrow in Detroit, Michigan; and Ron Kanopaski in San Francisco, California; and A Moment of Hope in Columbia, South Carolina.
“The problem is that his order and, more egregiously, the Wake County order, treat houses of worship differently from other establishments,” Berger spokesman Pat Ryan said in response to Cooper. “There needs to be consistency. It is patently unconstitutional to have one set of rules for one building (such as a restaurant open for carryout orders), and a different set of rules for the exact same building next door if it’s a house of worship.”
Readers can click here for LifeSiteNews’ live updates on the coronavirus and its impact all over the world.
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lifesitenews--2020-04-20--Kavanaugh mentions Roe v. Wade in opinion about overturning ‘erroneous precedents’

WASHINGTON , D.C. , April 20 , 2020 ( LifeSiteNews ) – The Supreme Court issued a ruling Monday concerning the rights of criminal defendants at trial , during which President Trump ’ s second nominee to the nation ’ s highest court , Justice Brett Kavanaugh , set out his opinion about throwing out `` erroneous precedents . ''
His opinion , which mentioned Roe v. Wade , may be useful in attempting to predict how he would rule on abortion .
The case , Ramos v. Louisiana , concerned whether the Sixth Amendment to the US Constitution requires @ @ @ @ @ @ @ unanimous .
The court ruled 6-3 that it does , overturning a 1972 precedent and voiding dozens of split verdicts .
In his concurring opinion , Kavanaugh elaborated on his thought process for when longstanding precedent should be left alone or overturned , using abortion precedent as his example .
`` In [ Planned Parenthood v. ] Casey , the Court reaffirmed what it described as the 'central holding ' of Roe v. Wade , '' while at the same time `` expressly reject [ ing ] Roe ’ s trimester framework , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ argued , shows that the doctrine of stare decisis , or deference to precedent , “ is not an ‘ inexorable command.
’ ” At the same time , Kavanaugh maintained that a “ belief that the precedent was wrongly decided ” is not enough to justify overturning it .
Instead , he argued , justices should make that decision based on criteria such as whether a precedent is “ not just wrong , but grievously or egregiously wrong ” ; whether it “ caused significant negative jurisprudential or real-world consequences ” for @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ; and whether overturning it would “ unduly upset ” people ’ s reliance on it .
The discussion does little to clarify how Kavanaugh would vote if the court ever revisits the merits of Roe and Casey during his term , or to reassure pro-lifers alarmed by the significant respect Kavanaugh gave Roe ’ s status as “ precedent ” during his confirmation hearings .
Nor have those questions been resolved by Kavanaugh ’ s performance on abortion-related disputes so far .
In late 2018 , he did not vote to hear @ @ @ @ @ @ @ right to deny Medicaid funds to abortion entities .
A few months later , he voted with the court ’ s conservatives to allow a Louisiana law requiring health and safety standards for abortion facilities to take effect , although his opinion rested largely on technical grounds while implicitly conceding the legitimacy of the so-called “ undue burden ” standard for abortion regulations .
Pro-lifers may get their answer sooner rather than later , as the Supreme Court is expected to eventually take up a legal challenge to the emergency orders of Texas @ @ @ @ @ @ @ elective abortions among the procedures to be suspended during the COVID-19 crisis .

The discussion does little to clarify how Kavanaugh would vote if the court ever revisits the merits of Roe and Casey during his term
WASHINGTON, D.C., April 20, 2020 (LifeSiteNews) – The Supreme Court issued a ruling Monday concerning the rights of criminal defendants at trial, during which President Trump’s second nominee to the nation’s highest court, Justice Brett Kavanaugh, set out his opinion about throwing out “erroneous precedents.” His opinion, which mentioned Roe v. Wade, may be useful in attempting to predict how he would rule on abortion.
The case, Ramos v. Louisiana, concerned whether the Sixth Amendment to the US Constitution requires jury convictions for serious offenses to be unanimous. The court ruled 6-3 that it does, overturning a 1972 precedent and voiding dozens of split verdicts.
In his concurring opinion, Kavanaugh elaborated on his thought process for when longstanding precedent should be left alone or overturned, using abortion precedent as his example.
“In [Planned Parenthood v.] Casey, the Court reaffirmed what it described as the 'central holding' of Roe v. Wade,” while at the same time “expressly reject[ing] Roe’s trimester framework,” he wrote. This, he argued, shows that the doctrine of stare decisis, or deference to precedent, “is not an ‘inexorable command.’”
At the same time, Kavanaugh maintained that a “belief that the precedent was wrongly decided” is not enough to justify overturning it.
Instead, he argued, justices should make that decision based on criteria such as whether a precedent is “not just wrong, but grievously or egregiously wrong”; whether it “caused significant negative jurisprudential or real-world consequences” for both the legal system and the citizenry; and whether overturning it would “unduly upset” people’s reliance on it.
The discussion does little to clarify how Kavanaugh would vote if the court ever revisits the merits of Roe and Casey during his term, or to reassure pro-lifers alarmed by the significant respect Kavanaugh gave Roe’s status as “precedent” during his confirmation hearings.
Nor have those questions been resolved by Kavanaugh’s performance on abortion-related disputes so far.
In late 2018, he did not vote to hear an appeal from states fighting for their right to deny Medicaid funds to abortion entities. A few months later, he voted with the court’s conservatives to allow a Louisiana law requiring health and safety standards for abortion facilities to take effect, although his opinion rested largely on technical grounds while implicitly conceding the legitimacy of the so-called “undue burden” standard for abortion regulations.
Pro-lifers may get their answer sooner rather than later, as the Supreme Court is expected to eventually take up a legal challenge to the emergency orders of Texas and other states, who have included elective abortions among the procedures to be suspended during the COVID-19 crisis.
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lifesitenews--2020-04-20--22 states now using drones to enforce lockdowns: Live coronavirus updates

LifeSite ’ s previous ( and future ) live updates on the coronavirus crisis and how it relates to issues our readers care about can be viewed HERE .
An MSNBC report features a New Jersey police department showing off the drones it uses to “ enforce social distancing.
” The report indicates the drones , which come from a Chinese company , have been widely disseminated across the U.S. to 43 agencies in 22 states .
April 20 , 2020 , 4:51 p.m. EST : Below are some of today ’ s LifeSite articles on the coronavirus crisis : @ @ @ @ @ @ @ fine for praying outside Maryland abortion center • China cracked down on live-streamed services of underground churches during coronavirus lockdown • Catholic bishops , pro-life leaders : COVID-19 vaccines should be ‘ free from any connection to abortion ’ • Did China ’ s leaders deliberately ‘ seed ’ coronavirus around the world ?
April 20 , 2020 ( LifeSiteNews ) – Americans continue to grow frustrated at attacks on their civil liberties .
More and more have joined protests demanding their states reopen .
Facebook says it has removed the promotion of @ @ @ @ @ @ @ New Jersey , and Nebraska after “ consultation ” with state governments .
The Daily Wire has released a video montage of Americans being arrested or harassed by authorities for exercising basic constitutional rights or doing activities like surfing alone in the ocean during the pandemic .
At The Stream , Rachel Alexander has highlighted how researchers at the National Institutes of Health “ claimed there weren ’ t enough resources to plan for both a flu pandemic and a coronavirus pandemic .
So they skipped the clinical trials on treatments for the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ all the frivolous studies NIH performed.
” Those taxpayer-funded studies included one on the effect of cocaine on honeybees ( it makes them twice as likely to dance ) , giving sex steroids to male goldfish ( they become “ more social and swim closer to female goldfish ” ) , and whether walking lengthens lifespan ( it does ) .
The Society of St. Pius X ( SSPX ) was “ fined £118 for holding an Easter Vigil Mass in its main Paris church during the Covid-19 lockdown , ” The Tablet @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
The Family Research Council has published a new report on restrictions on freedom of religion during the coronavirus crisis .
Texas is slowly beginning to re-open this week .
CNA reports , “ After receiving more than 300 letters during the coronavirus pandemic , the Italian bishops will entrust the nation to Mary ’ s protection on Friday , May 1 , at a shrine in northern Italy.
” In the Toronto Sun , Brian Lilley blasted Health Canada ’ s recent decision “ not to approve a cheap and rapid test @ @ @ @ @ @ @ in Canada , because of what the WHO [ World Health Organization ] says.
” “ Let me get this straight : We have a company that can provide accurate results using a blood test and we won ’ t use it because an international body in Geneva says no ?
” Lilley asked .
Stanford University has released a report on coronavirus antibody testing that apparently shows “ the virus ’ s spread could be far wider than previously believed ” – meaning its death rate is far lower than what has @ @ @ @ @ @ @ have had mild or no symptoms .
Reason reported April 17 that a teenager who posted on Instagram about having the coronavirus was along with her family threatened with arrest .
She and her family are now suing the local sheriff ’ s department .
“ Patrol Sergeant Cameron Klump from Marquette County Sheriff 's Department showed up on the family ’ s doorstep , ” Reason explained .
“ He was there under orders from Sheriff Joseph Konrath to demand that Amyiah [ the 16-year-old ] and her father , Richard Cohoon @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
If they refused , Klump said the family faced charges for disorderly conduct and Klump told them he would ‘ start taking people to jail , ’ according to the suit.
” A Canadian 17-year-old was ticketed for shooting basketball hoops by himself last week .
“ It is ‘ unconscionable ’ that Riker ’ s Island inmates who were released due to coronavirus concerns are committing new crimes , [ New York ] Mayor Bill de Blasio said Monday , ” the New York Post reported .
“ De Blasio said @ @ @ @ @ @ @ and said the city was ‘ buckling down ’ on monitoring and supervising released prisoners.
” In Florida , a man is accused of committing murder the day after he was prematurely released from prison because of the coronavirus .
Maryland ’ s Governor Larry Hogan is also releasing many prisoners early .
In New Jersey , the government has shut down a drive-through tulip farm .
Its owners are still allowed to sell their tulips for “ curbside pickup , ” though .

Live updates on the coronavirus crisis and how it relates to pro-life issues, faith, and freedom.
LifeSite’s previous (and future) live updates on the coronavirus crisis and how it relates to issues our readers care about can be viewed HERE.
An MSNBC report features a New Jersey police department showing off the drones it uses to “enforce social distancing.” The report indicates the drones, which come from a Chinese company, have been widely disseminated across the U.S. to 43 agencies in 22 states.
Insane. Police are using drones to enforce social distancing by spying on Americans in their backyards. Police chief says invasion of privacy is worth it “if it saves one life.” At a certain point even the most obsequious bootlickers will have had enough pic.twitter.com/9yeWAENjHh — Matt Walsh (@MattWalshBlog) April 20, 2020
April 21, 2020, 12:47 p.m. EST: Austrian Chancellor Sebastian Kurz says public Masses will be allowed again on May 15.
Austria's head Sebastian Kurz just announced that from May 15 on, public Masses will be allowed again! https://t.co/LhCYxgj5Mq — Maike Hickson (@HicksonMaike) April 21, 2020
Franciscan University of Steubenville has announced it will cover the remainder of tuition costs, after scholarships and grants have been applied, for the fall 2020 semester for all incoming full-time undergraduate students enrolled in its on-campus programs.
President Father Dave Pivonka, TOR, said, “As a University, we feel called by God to ease the burden for students, so they can experience the irreplaceable value of a Franciscan University education. We’ve heard from many students whose concerns over the pandemic are making the decision to leave home for college more difficult. Also, many families and students have seen their ability to pay for college evaporate due to the economic impact of the coronavirus. We hope this unique response will help them to overcome these obstacles and uncertainties and step out in faith with us.”
Christendom College announced earlier this month it will refund $970,000 in room and board fees to students for the period that they have been away from campus due to the ongoing coronavirus pandemic. Dr. Matthew Tsakanikas, who heads Christendom’s theoloy department, is also making his New Evangelization & Catholic Apologetics course and select New Testament lectures available online for free, in order to help strengthen the faith of those confined to their homes.
April 21, 2020, 8:59 a.m. EST: Read about how Trump’s pandemic expert Dr. Anthony Fauci has called for the abolition of handshakes but not sex with strangers HERE.
“Tennessee Gov. Bill Lee (R) and Georgia Gov. Brian Kemp (R) announced Monday afternoon that they are taking the initial steps of allowing ‘non-essential’ businesses to reopen,” Reason reports. “The ‘vast majority’ of businesses in Tennessee will be permitted to restart their engines on May 1.”
April 20, 2020, 4:51 p.m. EST: Below are some of today’s LifeSite articles on the coronavirus crisis:
April 20, 2020 (LifeSiteNews) – Americans continue to grow frustrated at attacks on their civil liberties. More and more have joined protests demanding their states reopen.
Facebook says it has removed the promotion of “anti-quarantine events” in California, New Jersey, and Nebraska after “consultation” with state governments.
We really want to set the precedent that tech platforms will remove protest events if government tells them to? No way that could go wrong https://t.co/21Zy1k5Iug — Peter J. Hasson (@peterjhasson) April 20, 2020
The Daily Wire has released a video montage of Americans being arrested or harassed by authorities for exercising basic constitutional rights or doing activities like surfing alone in the ocean during the pandemic.
At The Stream, Rachel Alexander has highlighted how researchers at the National Institutes of Health “claimed there weren’t enough resources to plan for both a flu pandemic and a coronavirus pandemic. So they skipped the clinical trials on treatments for the coronavirus. However, money abounded for all the frivolous studies NIH performed.”
Those taxpayer-funded studies included one on the effect of cocaine on honeybees (it makes them twice as likely to dance), giving sex steroids to male goldfish (they become “more social and swim closer to female goldfish”), and whether walking lengthens lifespan (it does).
The Society of St. Pius X (SSPX) was “fined £118 for holding an Easter Vigil Mass in its main Paris church during the Covid-19 lockdown,” The Tablet reports. They are contesting the fine.
The Family Research Council has published a new report on restrictions on freedom of religion during the coronavirus crisis.
Texas is slowly beginning to re-open this week.
CNA reports, “After receiving more than 300 letters during the coronavirus pandemic, the Italian bishops will entrust the nation to Mary’s protection on Friday, May 1, at a shrine in northern Italy.”
In the Toronto Sun, Brian Lilley blasted Health Canada’s recent decision “not to approve a cheap and rapid test for COVID-19, one made right here in Canada, because of what the WHO [World Health Organization] says.”
“Let me get this straight: We have a company that can provide accurate results using a blood test and we won’t use it because an international body in Geneva says no?” Lilley asked.
Stanford University has released a report on coronavirus antibody testing that apparently shows “the virus’s spread could be far wider than previously believed” – meaning its death rate is far lower than what has been reported and that many coronavirus-positive people have had mild or no symptoms.
Reason reported April 17 that a teenager who posted on Instagram about having the coronavirus was along with her family threatened with arrest. She and her family are now suing the local sheriff’s department.
“Patrol Sergeant Cameron Klump from Marquette County Sheriff's Department showed up on the family’s doorstep,” Reason explained. “He was there under orders from Sheriff Joseph Konrath to demand that Amyiah [the 16-year-old] and her father, Richard Cohoon, remove Amyiah’s Instagram posts. If they refused, Klump said the family faced charges for disorderly conduct and Klump told them he would ‘start taking people to jail,’ according to the suit.”
A Canadian 17-year-old was ticketed for shooting basketball hoops by himself last week.
“It is ‘unconscionable’ that Riker’s Island inmates who were released due to coronavirus concerns are committing new crimes, [New York] Mayor Bill de Blasio said Monday,” the New York Post reported. “De Blasio said the number of re-offenders remains relatively small and said the city was ‘buckling down’ on monitoring and supervising released prisoners.”
In Florida, a man is accused of committing murder the day after he was prematurely released from prison because of the coronavirus.
Maryland’s Governor Larry Hogan is also releasing many prisoners early.
In New Jersey, the government has shut down a drive-through tulip farm. Its owners are still allowed to sell their tulips for “curbside pickup,” though.
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lifesitenews--2020-04-20--A story to brighten your day

A story to brighten your day

Formerly Heart to Heart with Mother Miriam , Mother Miriam Live brings you inspiration and solutions for life ’ s @ @ @ @ @ Miriam is a Catholic nun on a mission to bring hope to a world that @ @ @ @ @ let her share that hope and joy with you !
To tune into Mother Miriam @ @ @ @ @ Facebook page here every Monday to Friday at 10am .

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Watch Mother Miriam's Live show from 4.20.2020. In today's encore show, Mother Miriam shares an inspiring story to brighten everyone's day. Today's story is about a donkey who taught his owner about the importance of trust.
You can tune in daily at 10 am EST/7 am PST on our Facebook Page.
Subscribe to Mother Miriam Live here.


lifesitenews--2020-04-20--Watch Trump’s coronavirus daily briefing for April 20 here

Read LifeSite ’ s live updates on the coronavirus crisis and how it relates to issues our readers care about @ @

WASHINGTON, D.C., April 20, 2020 (LifeSiteNews) – LifeSite has begun streaming President Donald Trump’s daily briefings about the coronavirus crisis. Here we present his April 20 briefing. Follow LifeSiteNews for future briefings.
Read LifeSite’s live updates on the coronavirus crisis and how it relates to issues our readers care about here .
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lifesitenews--2020-04-20--Police threaten woman with $5,000 fine for praying outside Maryland abortion center

HAGERSTOWN , Maryland , April 20 , 2020 ( LifeSiteNews ) – The Thomas More Society has come to the defense of a woman threatened by police officers for her pro-life advocacy outside of a Hagerstown , Maryland , abortion facility .
In a letter sent to Mayor Robert Bruchey , Chief of Police Paul Kifer , and the city attorney , Thomas More Society attorneys have demanded that the city confirm immediately in writing that Wanda King and her colleagues may return to their peaceful activities outside of the Hagerstown Reproductive Health abortion facility without fear of arrest or @ @ @ @ @ @ @ demand letter occurred on April 7 , 2020 .
That morning , three Hagerstown police officers , standing shoulder to shoulder , approached King while she was standing on the sidewalk outside of the abortion vendor at 160 West Washington Street .
There , they threatened her with a $ 5,000 fine for allegedly violating Maryland ’ s “ stay home order.
” King was present with one other individual , each of them maintaining approximately 15 feet of distance from each other , as they prayed and peacefully expressed a pro-life message @ @ @ @ @ @ @ a citation , a friend of King arrived to pick her up and drive her home .
Michael McHale , Thomas More Society Counsel , stated , “ We stand fully prepared to defend the constitutional rights of Ms. King and other pro-life individuals to be outside Hagerstown Reproductive Health to exercise their freedom of speech and religion while practicing social distancing , and we are ready to take immediate court action if necessary .
As long as the abortion mill is engaging in business as usual , our clients have a right @ @ @ @ @ @ @ witnessing to life and offering alternative healthcare options , while of course maintaining social distancing and gathering size limitations.
” Five days before police officers threatened King with a $ 5,000 fine , they ordered her and several other pro-life advocates to leave the same location , accusing them of violating the “ stay home order ” even though they were maintaining social distancing .
After that incident , one member of the group informed Maryland State Delegate Neil Parrott about the incident .
Parrott then made an inquiry about the matter to @ @ @ @ @ @ @ which informed him that the pro-life individuals in Hagerstown could be outside the abortion clinic within due limits .
This information was emailed to Hagerstown Police Chief Paul Kifer , who did not respond , despite three additional emails about the matter .
“ Even by its own terms , the Maryland Stay Home Order prohibits religious and spiritual gatherings of the kind our clients engage in only where they have more than 10 people , ” explained McHale .
“ At the same time the Maryland Department of Health has demanded the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ procedures through the duration of the catastrophic COVID-19 health emergency .
Almost all abortions are elective , yet the Hagerstown abortion clinic continues to operate with impunity and without regard to such limitations .
This selective enforcement of parts of Maryland ’ s orders to stop the spread of COVID-19 , threatening Ms. King and other pro-life advocates while turning a blind eye to the elective abortion procedures occurring just yards away , is unlawful.
” Read the demand letter sent to Mayor Robert E. Bruchey II , Chief of Police Paul Kifer @ @ @ @ @ @ @ all of Hagerstown , Maryland , on April 14 , 2020 , by the Thomas More Society here .

PETITION: Support pro-lifers threatened and arrested for praying outside of abortion facilities Sign the petition here.
HAGERSTOWN, Maryland, April 20, 2020 (LifeSiteNews) – The Thomas More Society has come to the defense of a woman threatened by police officers for her pro-life advocacy outside of a Hagerstown, Maryland, abortion facility. In a letter sent to Mayor Robert Bruchey, Chief of Police Paul Kifer, and the city attorney, Thomas More Society attorneys have demanded that the city confirm immediately in writing that Wanda King and her colleagues may return to their peaceful activities outside of the Hagerstown Reproductive Health abortion facility without fear of arrest or citation.
The latest incident prompting the demand letter occurred on April 7, 2020. That morning, three Hagerstown police officers, standing shoulder to shoulder, approached King while she was standing on the sidewalk outside of the abortion vendor at 160 West Washington Street. There, they threatened her with a $5,000 fine for allegedly violating Maryland’s “stay home order.” King was present with one other individual, each of them maintaining approximately 15 feet of distance from each other, as they prayed and peacefully expressed a pro-life message. When police prepared to issue her a citation, a friend of King arrived to pick her up and drive her home.
Michael McHale, Thomas More Society Counsel, stated, “We stand fully prepared to defend the constitutional rights of Ms. King and other pro-life individuals to be outside Hagerstown Reproductive Health to exercise their freedom of speech and religion while practicing social distancing, and we are ready to take immediate court action if necessary. As long as the abortion mill is engaging in business as usual, our clients have a right to be outside on the public sidewalk witnessing to life and offering alternative healthcare options, while of course maintaining social distancing and gathering size limitations.”
Five days before police officers threatened King with a $5,000 fine, they ordered her and several other pro-life advocates to leave the same location, accusing them of violating the “stay home order” even though they were maintaining social distancing. After that incident, one member of the group informed Maryland State Delegate Neil Parrott about the incident. Parrott then made an inquiry about the matter to the Governor’s Task Force, which informed him that the pro-life individuals in Hagerstown could be outside the abortion clinic within due limits. This information was emailed to Hagerstown Police Chief Paul Kifer, who did not respond, despite three additional emails about the matter.
“Even by its own terms, the Maryland Stay Home Order prohibits religious and spiritual gatherings of the kind our clients engage in only where they have more than 10 people,” explained McHale. “At the same time the Maryland Department of Health has demanded the cessation of all elective and non-urgent medical procedures through the duration of the catastrophic COVID-19 health emergency. Almost all abortions are elective, yet the Hagerstown abortion clinic continues to operate with impunity and without regard to such limitations. This selective enforcement of parts of Maryland’s orders to stop the spread of COVID-19, threatening Ms. King and other pro-life advocates while turning a blind eye to the elective abortion procedures occurring just yards away, is unlawful.”
Read the demand letter sent to Mayor Robert E. Bruchey II, Chief of Police Paul Kifer, and City Attorney Jason Morton, all of Hagerstown, Maryland, on April 14, 2020, by the Thomas More Society here.
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lifesitenews--2020-04-20--Architect of legal abortion in UK resigns after child abuse cover-up accusations surface

April 20 , 2020 ( LifeSiteNews ) – Next Monday , April 27th is the 52nd anniversary of the coming into effect of the UK ’ s Abortion Act ( 1967 ) , the key legislation which opened up abortion on a mass scale in England , Wales , and Scotland .
The government has been celebrating early , first by imposing abortion on Northern Ireland , to which the Act never applied , and then by loosening the rules on ‘ do it yourself ’ , home abortions , in the context of the Coronavirus epidemic .
A lot @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the UK , as in other jurisdictions , which have clarified the issues at stake .
The Member of Parliament who sponsored the passage of this law—it was not a government bill—later admitted that he had grossly underestimated the number of abortions that would be performed under the Act .
If the vast number of deaths the Act would bring about had been foreseen when it was being debated , it would have been much harder to get it passed .
The same goes for the way that safeguards have been interpreted and @ @ @ @ @ @ @ always the way ?
The radical agenda is forced through with the claim that each change is quite minor .
When it turns out that it is anything but , the promoters say , oh well , but there ’ s no going back now .
The only thing which should surprise us is the willingness of moderates and conservatives to keep on accepting the radicals ’ assurances .
It happened with abortion , contraception and divorce back in the 1960s , it happened with same-sex “ marriage ” more recently , and @ @ @ @ @ @ @ trans movement .
The consequences of destroying fundamental legal and moral protections , and fundamental legal and moral concepts , are incalculable .
Those who wish to remake the world from atoms upwards thrive in the chaos , but they are a tiny minority .
The problem is that most people would rather accept the reassurances than get into a big fight about it .
There ’ s another interesting thing about the sponsor of the Abortion Act , David Steel .
He was a member of the UK ’ s then third @ @ @ @ @ @ @ became its leader .
On retirement , he joined the House of Lords , as one would expect in the UK system after a distinguished political career .
The Abortion Act has always been his great achievement .
He has , however , now been disgraced , to such an extent that earlier this year he “ resigned ” from the House of Lords ( whatever that means ) , and from his party , now called the Liberal Democrats .
It turns out that as party leader in the 1970s and 1980s @ @ @ @ @ @ @ abuse perpetrated by one of his Members of Parliament .
Thus the whirligig of time brings in its revenge .
It is more than just a coincidence , however .
As has become increasingly clear , abortion is an essential part of the abuser ’ s tool-kit .
It is the answer to the awkward question for men who abuse under-age girls , and who subject them to prostitution : what if there is a pregnancy ?
Lord Steel ’ s attitude towards the abuse he tolerated , that it really wasn ’ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ shared by British social services when dealing with girls in care homes who are abused by rape gangs .
It ’ s not so very serious , and abortion will sort out any long-term consequences .
A final lesson from the passage of the Abortion Act concerns the strategy of the bishops .
Opposition to the legislation was led by John , Cardinal Heenan , a prelate always regarded as a “ conservative ” .
He allowed himself to be blown off course , however , by the promise that Catholic nurses would @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , under the Act ’ s proposed “ conscience clauses ” .
This particular surrender of principle for an at best temporary amelioration of just one aspect of its consequences has also , sadly , set a pattern .
It was very much in view in 2004 when British Catholic bishops dropped their opposition to same-sex legal unions on the basis that they would be “ clearly distinguished ” from marriages : an utterly meaningless and inevitably temporary concession .
Same-sex “ marriage ” followed as the night follows the day just a @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the concession which tempted Heenan is also significant .
He hoped to draw a line of protection around “ his ” people : all those good Catholic nurses he would have met in London ’ s great hospitals .
If the price of this is abandoning the rest of society , including the most vulnerable of all , the unborn children , then not only is the bargain not a good one , but it should be obvious that the bargain will not going forward hold .
In any case , bishops are @ @ @ @ @ @ @ dioceses : not just those of Catholics .
The souls of the non-Catholic nurses , forced to do even more abortions , are also of value .
Today , the issue of abortion makes it difficult for conscientious Catholics to become nurses , and makes it impossible for them to become midwives .
But are we going to learn the lesson ?

This month is the 52nd anniversary of UK's Abortion Act, sponsored by David Steel in 1967. Steel has now been accused of child abuse cover-up.
PETITION: Urge state governors to stop abortions during coronavirus crisis Sign the petition here.
April 20, 2020 (LifeSiteNews) – Next Monday, April 27th is the 52nd anniversary of the coming into effect of the UK’s Abortion Act (1967), the key legislation which opened up abortion on a mass scale in England, Wales, and Scotland.
The government has been celebrating early, first by imposing abortion on Northern Ireland, to which the Act never applied, and then by loosening the rules on ‘do it yourself’, home abortions, in the context of the Coronavirus epidemic.
A lot of things have happened since 1967 in the UK, as in other jurisdictions, which have clarified the issues at stake. The Member of Parliament who sponsored the passage of this law—it was not a government bill—later admitted that he had grossly underestimated the number of abortions that would be performed under the Act.
If the vast number of deaths the Act would bring about had been foreseen when it was being debated, it would have been much harder to get it passed. The same goes for the way that safeguards have been interpreted and evaded. But isn’t that always the way? The radical agenda is forced through with the claim that each change is quite minor. When it turns out that it is anything but, the promoters say, oh well, but there’s no going back now.
The only thing which should surprise us is the willingness of moderates and conservatives to keep on accepting the radicals’ assurances. It happened with abortion, contraception and divorce back in the 1960s, it happened with same-sex “marriage” more recently, and it is happening right now with the trans movement.
The consequences of destroying fundamental legal and moral protections, and fundamental legal and moral concepts, are incalculable. Those who wish to remake the world from atoms upwards thrive in the chaos, but they are a tiny minority. The problem is that most people would rather accept the reassurances than get into a big fight about it.
There’s another interesting thing about the sponsor of the Abortion Act, David Steel. He was a member of the UK’s then third party, the Liberals, and later became its leader. On retirement, he joined the House of Lords, as one would expect in the UK system after a distinguished political career. The Abortion Act has always been his great achievement. He has, however, now been disgraced, to such an extent that earlier this year he “resigned” from the House of Lords (whatever that means), and from his party, now called the Liberal Democrats. It turns out that as party leader in the 1970s and 1980s he had tolerated and covered up child abuse perpetrated by one of his Members of Parliament.
Thus the whirligig of time brings in its revenge. It is more than just a coincidence, however. As has become increasingly clear, abortion is an essential part of the abuser’s tool-kit. It is the answer to the awkward question for men who abuse under-age girls, and who subject them to prostitution: what if there is a pregnancy? Lord Steel’s attitude towards the abuse he tolerated, that it really wasn’t so very serious, is apparently shared by British social services when dealing with girls in care homes who are abused by rape gangs. It’s not so very serious, and abortion will sort out any long-term consequences.
A final lesson from the passage of the Abortion Act concerns the strategy of the bishops.
Opposition to the legislation was led by John, Cardinal Heenan, a prelate always regarded as a “conservative”. He allowed himself to be blown off course, however, by the promise that Catholic nurses would not be obliged to assist with abortions, under the Act’s proposed “conscience clauses”. This particular surrender of principle for an at best temporary amelioration of just one aspect of its consequences has also, sadly, set a pattern.
It was very much in view in 2004 when British Catholic bishops dropped their opposition to same-sex legal unions on the basis that they would be “clearly distinguished” from marriages: an utterly meaningless and inevitably temporary concession. Same-sex “marriage” followed as the night follows the day just a few years later.
The nature of the concession which tempted Heenan is also significant. He hoped to draw a line of protection around “his” people: all those good Catholic nurses he would have met in London’s great hospitals. If the price of this is abandoning the rest of society, including the most vulnerable of all, the unborn children, then not only is the bargain not a good one, but it should be obvious that the bargain will not going forward hold. In any case, bishops are responsible for all the souls in their dioceses: not just those of Catholics. The souls of the non-Catholic nurses, forced to do even more abortions, are also of value.
Today, the issue of abortion makes it difficult for conscientious Catholics to become nurses, and makes it impossible for them to become midwives. But are we going to learn the lesson?
Follow Joseph Dr Joseph Shaw has a Doctorate in Philosophy from Oxford University, where he also gained a first degree in Politics and Philosophy and a graduate Diploma in Theology. He has published on Ethics and Philosophy of Religion and is the editor of The Case for Liturgical Restoration: Una Voce Position Papers on the Extraordinary Form (Angelico Press). He is the Chairman of the Latin Mass Society of England and Wales and Secretary of Una Voce International. He teaches Philosophy in Oxford University and lives nearby with his wife and nine children.
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lifesitenews--2020-04-20--Harvard’s attack on homeschooling is fundamentally flawed. Here’s how

April 20 , 2020 ( LifeSiteNews ) – Harvard Law School appears to be coordinating an attack on home-education .
A planned conference appears to be intended as a pile-on by critics of homeschooling .
Harvard Magazine has published an approving summary of an 80-page article in the Harvard Law Review by Professor Elizabeth Bartholet about why home-education should be banned .
The Harvard Magazine account cites no dissenting or alternative views .
Wags on social media have pointed out that the cartoon accompanying Harvard Magazine ’ s piece manages to misspell “ Arithmetic ” ( “ Arithmatic ” ) @ @ @ @ @ @ @ definitely won Twitter with his observation , “ If you replace ‘ homeschooling ’ with ‘ attending Harvard ’ a lot of the article makes sense.
” He illustrated : Since the article , like a great deal of elite education , is patently driven by ideological concerns , the point is well made .
What of the underlying academic article ?
My brief review of it suggests that it suffers from three fundamental flaws .
First , the nature of the evidence .
Professor Bartholet is a legal academic not a sociologist @ @ @ @ @ @ @ discrepancy between two of her own claims which illustrates a wider problem .
On p14 she remarks , “ Child maltreatment takes place disproportionately in families cut off from the larger community.
” On the very next page , however , she notes that it is impossible to get an accurate picture of how much “ maltreatment ” takes place in home-educating families .
If there are no accurate figures , Professor , how can you assert that there is more of it among home-schoolers than in other contexts ?
This problem arises @ @ @ @ @ @ @ about the lack of information , and then draws extravagant conclusions , and proposes draconian legal changes , on the basis of this inadequate information .
Perhaps there should be more studies on home-education , but Bartholet seems determined to justify homeschoolers ’ suspicion of hostile researchers which , she complains , hampers this .
The second flaw is the lack of comparison with mainstream education .
Meaningful generalizations about home-schooling would calibrate it against the benchmark of schools .
Better still , home schooling aiming at a specialist education should be compared @ @ @ @ @ @ @ by a concern about academic and behavioral standards should be compared with locally available schools .
It is meaningless to point out that some homeschooling parents only manage to bring their children up to meager standards , if these parents withdrew their children in desperation from a school where outcomes are even worse .
Parents tend to be very conscious of their limitations , and many are only driven to home-education by truly terrible experiences of school .
It is not so very difficult for home-schooling parents to improve on outcomes such as @ @ @ @ @ @ @ or death , which are far from unknown in state-approved schools .
The third flaw lies in the failure adequately to deal with the enormous range of homeschooling philosophy and practice .
Bartholet writes ( p22 ) : In other words , the “ unstructured ” educational philosophy adopted by some home-educating parents equips children poorly for “ standardized tests.
” Whatever next ?
Personally , I am not a fan of “ unstructured ” education , the favored approach of the “ progressive ” ( a.k.a .
“ hippy ” ) current @ @ @ @ @ @ @ more than the book-learning approach ridiculed by the Harvard Magazine ’ s cartoonist , who depicted a home-educated child imprisoned in a house of books while other children played outside .
But to be fair to its proponents , standardized tests are hardly an adequate way of assessing its value .
It is precisely not aiming to coax children through those sorts of hoops .
By the same token , the study Bartholet refers to clearly shows that home-education which does aim to get children up to speed on conventional educational tasks significantly @ @ @ @ @ @ @ home-education phenomenon clearly demands a nuanced treatment and policy response .
If unstructured education is the problem , for example , then it should be discouraged : and the first place to discourage it would be in publicly-funded schools , where its influence is ruining the educational prospects of children despite the protests of parents .
If the maltreatment of children is the problem , there are laws against this , and the first place they should be enforced is in schools , where children ’ s lives are being destroyed despite the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ yes , parents tend to have their children ’ s interests at heart , and often have a better understanding of them than professional educators .
In the meantime , Harvard had better look out : as this Business Insider article points out , home-educated children are storming this bastion of elite education , alongside all the others .

April 20, 2020 (LifeSiteNews) – Harvard Law School appears to be coordinating an attack on home-education. A planned conference appears to be intended as a pile-on by critics of homeschooling. Harvard Magazine has published an approving summary of an 80-page article in the Harvard Law Review by Professor Elizabeth Bartholet about why home-education should be banned. The Harvard Magazine account cites no dissenting or alternative views.
Wags on social media have pointed out that the cartoon accompanying Harvard Magazine’s piece manages to misspell “Arithmetic” (“Arithmatic”). Matthew Peterson (@docMJP) definitely won Twitter with his observation, “If you replace ‘homeschooling’ with ‘attending Harvard’ a lot of the article makes sense.” He illustrated:
“We have an essentially unregulated regime in the area of elite Ed,” @docMJP asserts. All 50 states have laws that make education compulsory, & state constitutions ensure a right to education, “but if you look at the legal regime governing elite colleges, there are very few requirements that professors teach anything of value.” Even apparent requirements such as submitting curricula, or providing evidence that teaching and learning are taking place, he says, aren’t necessarily enforced.
Since the article, like a great deal of elite education, is patently driven by ideological concerns, the point is well made.
What of the underlying academic article? My brief review of it suggests that it suffers from three fundamental flaws.
First, the nature of the evidence. Professor Bartholet is a legal academic not a sociologist, but she should have noticed the discrepancy between two of her own claims which illustrates a wider problem. On p14 she remarks, “Child maltreatment takes place disproportionately in families cut off from the larger community.” On the very next page, however, she notes that it is impossible to get an accurate picture of how much “maltreatment” takes place in home-educating families. If there are no accurate figures, Professor, how can you assert that there is more of it among home-schoolers than in other contexts?
This problem arises again and again. Bartholet complains repeatedly about the lack of information, and then draws extravagant conclusions, and proposes draconian legal changes, on the basis of this inadequate information. Perhaps there should be more studies on home-education, but Bartholet seems determined to justify homeschoolers’ suspicion of hostile researchers which, she complains, hampers this.
The second flaw is the lack of comparison with mainstream education. Meaningful generalizations about home-schooling would calibrate it against the benchmark of schools. Better still, home schooling aiming at a specialist education should be compared to specialist schools, and homeschooling motivated by a concern about academic and behavioral standards should be compared with locally available schools.
It is meaningless to point out that some homeschooling parents only manage to bring their children up to meager standards, if these parents withdrew their children in desperation from a school where outcomes are even worse. Parents tend to be very conscious of their limitations, and many are only driven to home-education by truly terrible experiences of school. It is not so very difficult for home-schooling parents to improve on outcomes such as life-long trauma from bullying, rape, or death, which are far from unknown in state-approved schools.
The third flaw lies in the failure adequately to deal with the enormous range of homeschooling philosophy and practice. Bartholet writes (p22):
One [“methodologically sound study”] found that while overall the homeschoolers who took standardized tests did slightly better than public schoolers, there was a huge divergence between homeschoolers receiving structured as versus unstructured home education. Those receiving unstructured education, as many homeschoolers do, scored significantly lower than public schoolers.
In other words, the “unstructured” educational philosophy adopted by some home-educating parents equips children poorly for “standardized tests.” Whatever next?
Personally, I am not a fan of “unstructured” education, the favored approach of the “progressive” (a.k.a. “hippy”) current in home-schooling which Bartholet seems to like more than the book-learning approach ridiculed by the Harvard Magazine’s cartoonist, who depicted a home-educated child imprisoned in a house of books while other children played outside. But to be fair to its proponents, standardized tests are hardly an adequate way of assessing its value. It is precisely not aiming to coax children through those sorts of hoops. By the same token, the study Bartholet refers to clearly shows that home-education which does aim to get children up to speed on conventional educational tasks significantly outperforms schools.
The complexity of the home-education phenomenon clearly demands a nuanced treatment and policy response. If unstructured education is the problem, for example, then it should be discouraged: and the first place to discourage it would be in publicly-funded schools, where its influence is ruining the educational prospects of children despite the protests of parents. If the maltreatment of children is the problem, there are laws against this, and the first place they should be enforced is in schools, where children’s lives are being destroyed despite the protests of their parents. Because, yes, parents tend to have their children’s interests at heart, and often have a better understanding of them than professional educators.
In the meantime, Harvard had better look out: as this Business Insider article points out, home-educated children are storming this bastion of elite education, alongside all the others.
Follow Joseph Dr Joseph Shaw has a Doctorate in Philosophy from Oxford University, where he also gained a first degree in Politics and Philosophy and a graduate Diploma in Theology. He has published on Ethics and Philosophy of Religion and is the editor of The Case for Liturgical Restoration: Una Voce Position Papers on the Extraordinary Form (Angelico Press). He is the Chairman of the Latin Mass Society of England and Wales and Secretary of Una Voce International. He teaches Philosophy in Oxford University and lives nearby with his wife and nine children.
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lifesitenews--2020-04-20--Did China’s leaders deliberately ‘seed’ coronavirus around the world?

April 20 , 2020 ( LifeSiteNews ) – With each day that passes , the list of Chinese Communist Party ( CCP ) lies about the origin and spread of the China Coronavirus continues to grow .
Each and every one of these lies cost lives , and the death toll continues to mount .
The CCP lied about when the Wuhan epidemic began ( a month earlier than they admit ) .
They lied about the origin of the virus ( it didn ’ t come from the Wuhan “ wet ” market ) .
They lied about human-to-human @ @ @ @ @ @ @ very infectious ) .
They lied about the number of infections and deaths in China ( far , far higher than they admit ) .
They lied to the WHO and , worse yet , got the WHO to lie for them .
Some might call this a comedy of errors .
It wasn ’ t .
It was a pastiche of lies , cobbled together by senior Party leaders with the approval of People ’ s Leader Xi Jinping himself .
As the Wuhan Virus spread throughout China , they decided that @ @ @ @ @ @ @ their advantage .
But how ?
Niall Ferguson seems to have been the first to point out a striking anomaly .
Why , asks the Hoover Institution scholar , did Xi “ cut off travel from Hubei to the rest of China – on January 23 – but not from Hubei to the rest of the world ?
” This is no small matter .
Between Jan. 23 and Jan. 31 , when Trump presciently stopped nearly all flights from China , a couple dozen flights from Wuhan landed in major cities around @ @ @ @ @ @ @ according to the New York Times , 19 flights landed in New York or San Francisco .
Each carried hundreds of passengers at least some of whom—given the rapidly rising infection rates in Wuhan—had probably been exposed to the virus .
Most of the cities that were on the receiving end of these virus-laden flights from the epicenter of the epidemic went on , like New York City did , to become hotspots of their own .
If this was a plan to seed the virus throughout the world , then it has @ @ @ @ @ @ @ who plotted it .
The deliberate sowing of a global pandemic would be an act so evil that the Western mind recoils from even considering it .
But what other explanation are we left with ?
While protecting China from the further spread of the Wuhan Virus by quarantining its city of origin , Dictator Xi seems to have decided to infect the world .
For some time we have been hearing angry and impassioned denials from Western virologists that the Wuhan Virus was a “ bioweapon.
” ( Many of them , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the Wuhan lab , but that is another story . )
But even though SARS-CoV-2 virus was not engineered to be a bioweapon , the Communist Chinese , by unleashing it upon the world , has turned it into one .
America has been the victim of a sneak attack that makes Pearl Harbor look like child ’ s play .
And not just America .
In John Zmirak ’ s words , Beijing is waging “ biological warfare against the world.
” Some have called the Wuhan Flu pandemic China ’ s @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , like the meltdown of the Soviet nuclear power plant and Moscow ’ s subsequent coverup , the Wuhan Virus pandemic has delegitimized the regime in the eyes of its own people .
But for those of us who live outside of China , Chernobyl is not remotely comparable to what we now face .
Europe was alarmed by Chernobyl because of the fear that the prevailing winds would blow dangerous radioactive fallout in their direction .
But the winds blow where they will .
The planes flying out of Wuhan and other @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , were set on a fixed course and purpose .
They carried infected passengers to the major cities around the world , including the cities of China ’ s chief geostrategic rival , spreading panic and disease .
Chinese propagandists understand the import of all of this .
Why else would Chinese foreign ministry spokeswoman Hua Chunying blast Trump ’ s travel ban ?
The WHO had advised against travel bans , she huffed , suggesting that Washington had “ unceasingly manufactured and spread panic ” about the Wuhan Virus from the beginning @ @ @ @ @ @ @ if China had won a great victory when the number of deaths in Wuhan ( according to the phony statistics they continue to put out ) was eclipsed by the number of deaths in New York City ?
As the editor of the Global Times put it , the “ Chinese government has adopted scientific and effective control measures .
Loose political system of the U.S. allows more than 3,000 people [ to ] die of pandemic every day.
” As for the resulting economic problems , China wants us to understand that @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Virus at all , but by our “ wild-growing capitalism ” that “ bred chaos.
” I do not think that China ’ s effort to hide its crimes against America and the world will succeed .
This is Pearl Harbor and Chernobyl all rolled into one .
Hopefully , it will be China ’ s Stalingrad as well , a place where , like Hitler ’ s armies in WWII , the Sino-Fascist ’ s dreams of world domination go to die .
Steven W. Mosher @ StevenWMosher is the President of @ @ @ @ @ @ @ of Bully of Asia : Why China ’ s Dream is the New Threat to World Order

'If this was a plan to seed the virus throughout the world, then it has succeeded beyond the wildest imaginations of those who plotted it.'
PETITION: Thank President Trump for halting U.S. funding to pro-abortion World Health Organization Sign the petition here.
April 20, 2020 (LifeSiteNews) – With each day that passes, the list of Chinese Communist Party (CCP) lies about the origin and spread of the China Coronavirus continues to grow. Each and every one of these lies cost lives, and the death toll continues to mount.
The CCP lied about when the Wuhan epidemic began (a month earlier than they admit). They lied about the origin of the virus (it didn’t come from the Wuhan “wet” market). They lied about human-to-human transmission (they denied the virus was very infectious). They lied about the number of infections and deaths in China (far, far higher than they admit). They lied to the WHO and, worse yet, got the WHO to lie for them.
(Actually, as someone who has studied Chinese politics for almost a half-century now, I can affirm that Communist officials lie even when they don’t need to lie, while actually counting themselves clever for doing so. As members of an atheistic party organized along conspiratorial lines, It’s in their political DNA to manipulate and deceive “the masses”.)
Some might call this a comedy of errors. It wasn’t. It was a pastiche of lies, cobbled together by senior Party leaders with the approval of People’s Leader Xi Jinping himself. As the Wuhan Virus spread throughout China, they decided that they must somehow turn this crisis to their advantage. But how?
Niall Ferguson seems to have been the first to point out a striking anomaly. Why, asks the Hoover Institution scholar, did Xi “cut off travel from Hubei to the rest of China – on January 23 – but not from Hubei to the rest of the world?”
This is no small matter. Between Jan. 23 and Jan. 31, when Trump presciently stopped nearly all flights from China, a couple dozen flights from Wuhan landed in major cities around the world. Earlier in January, according to the New York Times, 19 flights landed in New York or San Francisco. Each carried hundreds of passengers at least some of whom—given the rapidly rising infection rates in Wuhan—had probably been exposed to the virus.
Most of the cities that were on the receiving end of these virus-laden flights from the epicenter of the epidemic went on, like New York City did, to become hotspots of their own.
If this was a plan to seed the virus throughout the world, then it has succeeded beyond the wildest imaginations of those who plotted it.
The deliberate sowing of a global pandemic would be an act so evil that the Western mind recoils from even considering it. But what other explanation are we left with? While protecting China from the further spread of the Wuhan Virus by quarantining its city of origin, Dictator Xi seems to have decided to infect the world.
For some time we have been hearing angry and impassioned denials from Western virologists that the Wuhan Virus was a “bioweapon.” (Many of them, it turns out, have connections with the Wuhan lab, but that is another story.)
But even though SARS-CoV-2 virus was not engineered to be a bioweapon, the Communist Chinese, by unleashing it upon the world, has turned it into one.
America has been the victim of a sneak attack that makes Pearl Harbor look like child’s play. And not just America. In John Zmirak’s words, Beijing is waging “biological warfare against the world.”
Some have called the Wuhan Flu pandemic China’s Chernobyl. And it is true that, like the meltdown of the Soviet nuclear power plant and Moscow’s subsequent coverup, the Wuhan Virus pandemic has delegitimized the regime in the eyes of its own people.
But for those of us who live outside of China, Chernobyl is not remotely comparable to what we now face.
Europe was alarmed by Chernobyl because of the fear that the prevailing winds would blow dangerous radioactive fallout in their direction.
But the winds blow where they will.
The planes flying out of Wuhan and other Chinese cities, on the other hand, were set on a fixed course and purpose. They carried infected passengers to the major cities around the world, including the cities of China’s chief geostrategic rival, spreading panic and disease.
Chinese propagandists understand the import of all of this. Why else would Chinese foreign ministry spokeswoman Hua Chunying blast Trump’s travel ban? The WHO had advised against travel bans, she huffed, suggesting that Washington had “unceasingly manufactured and spread panic” about the Wuhan Virus from the beginning.
Why else would they celebrate as if China had won a great victory when the number of deaths in Wuhan (according to the phony statistics they continue to put out) was eclipsed by the number of deaths in New York City? As the editor of the Global Times put it, the “Chinese government has adopted scientific and effective control measures. Loose political system of the U.S. allows more than 3,000 people [to] die of pandemic every day.” As for the resulting economic problems, China wants us to understand that they are not caused by the Wuhan Virus at all, but by our “wild-growing capitalism” that “bred chaos.”
I do not think that China’s effort to hide its crimes against America and the world will succeed.
This is Pearl Harbor and Chernobyl all rolled into one.
Hopefully, it will be China’s Stalingrad as well, a place where, like Hitler’s armies in WWII, the Sino-Fascist’s dreams of world domination go to die.
Steven W. Mosher @StevenWMosher is the President of the Population Research Institute and the author of Bully of Asia: Why China’s Dream is the New Threat to World Order
Follow Steven Steven Mosher is an internationally recognised authority on China and population issues as well as an acclaimed author and speaker and founder and head of the Population Research Institute. He was the first American social scientist to visit mainland China in 1979 where he witnessed women being forced to have abortion under the new “one-child-policy” which he then exposed to the world. Mr. Mosher was a pro-choice atheist at the time, but witnessing these traumatic abortions led him to reconsider his convictions and to eventually become a practicing, pro-life Roman Catholic. Mosher has appeared numerous times before the US Congress as an expert in world population, China and human Rights abuses. He has also made TV appearances on Good Morning America, 60 Minutes, The Today Show, 20/20, FOX and CNN news, as well as being a regular guest on talk radio shows across the nation. He is the author of the best-selling A Mother’s Ordeal: One woman’s Fight Against China’s One-Child-Policy. His latest book is Bully of Asia, exposing the threat of China to the entire world at this time. Articles by Steve have appeared in The Wall Street Journal, Reader’s Digest, The New Republic, The Washington Post, National Review, Reason, The Asian Wall Street Journal, Freedom Review, Linacre Quarterly, Catholic World Report, Human Life Review, First Things, and numerous other publications. Steven Mosher lives in Virginia with his wife, Vera, and their nine children.
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lifesitenews--2020-04-20--China cracked down on live-streamed services of underground churches during coronavirus lockdown

April 20 , 2020 ( LifeSiteNews ) – The Chinese regime censored underground religious services that pastors were trying to stream online during the coronavirus lockdown , which only recently was lifted in the communist nation .
According to Bitter Winter , an online magazine on religious liberty and human rights in China published by Italian-based CESNUR ( Center for Studies on New Religions ) , only religious organizations with state-issued licenses were able to stream services during the lockdown .
This is in line with a ban set in place in 2018 for online streaming services .
The ban @ @ @ @ @ @ @ venues which have obtained licenses “ no organizations or individuals will be allowed to live-stream or broadcast religious activities , including praying , burning incense , ordinations , scripture chanting , holding Mass , worshipping or receiving baptism online in the form of text , photo , audio or video , ” according to Global Times .
The only churches that can offer any sort of online worship streaming are the ones approved by the state .
This means that only churches that are communist-run ( part of the Self Patriotic Movement or @ @ @ @ @ @ @ officially operate .
It is estimated that countless of Chinese Christians are forced to worship in illegal underground churches .
According to the Bitter Winter report , an underground church pastor tried to stream a service to followers , but the live stream was swiftly taken down .
“ Our first and only online gathering was blocked by the government soon after it started , ” the pastor said .
The same pastor noted in the Bitter Winter report that they had to change where they held their services a total of five @ @ @ @ @ @ @ they could evade “ continuous police harassment .
Cardinal Joseph Zen , the Bishop Emeritus of Hong Kong , has been very vocal in calling out the persecution of Christians in China .
He has also been critical of the Vatican ’ s deal with the Chinese Regime .
In an exclusive interview with LifeSiteNews , Cardinal Zen criticized the Vatican for its silence on China ’ s abuses of power in Hong Kong , as well as its treatment of Catholics in mainland China .
According to Zen , the communist Chinese @ @ @ @ @ @ @ objectively schismatic ” and remains that way even with “ the blessing from the Holy See.
” He also not long ago said he has evidence that the Vatican secretary of state ‘ manipulated ’ Pope Francis on the Vatican China deal .
The Bitter Winter report also notes that two Chinese Christian Councils from the Shandong Province put a notice out in late February demanding that all churches stop live streaming their services .
The same report also notes that in some areas , church pastors were advising their followers to immediately @ @ @ @ @ @ @ pastors went as far as to notify authorities as to who was participating in an online conversation .
The Bitter Winter report said that in late January , “ Three-Self churches in Shandong sent their congregations the instructions issued by the Bureau of Public Information and Network Security Supervision prohibiting to make remarks unfavorable to the government and to spread information about the epidemic that has not been approved by the state.
” The report went on to say that “ Any online account posting such comments or information would be banned permanently @ @ @ @ @ @ @ pastor from a Three-Self church from Shandong said in the Bitter Winter report that the government has information on everyone .
“ The Public Security Bureau has information on all members of every WeChat group , and network inspections are carried out , especially strict during the pandemic.
” In the same report , a Three-Self church member said the government has encouraged everything else to open after lockdown restrictions were eased , except churches .
“ Encouraged by the government , many factories and public venues have been reopened , but religious @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the church member .
“ Religious meetings are forbidden , and all channels of religious communication are blocked .
”

'Our first and only online gathering was blocked by the government soon after it started'
Urgent appeal to the bishops of the world: Feed your flock Sign the petition here.
April 20, 2020 (LifeSiteNews) – The Chinese regime censored underground religious services that pastors were trying to stream online during the coronavirus lockdown, which only recently was lifted in the communist nation.
According to Bitter Winter, an online magazine on religious liberty and human rights in China published by Italian-based CESNUR (Center for Studies on New Religions), only religious organizations with state-issued licenses were able to stream services during the lockdown. This is in line with a ban set in place in 2018 for online streaming services.
The ban states that, apart from institutions and venues which have obtained licenses “no organizations or individuals will be allowed to live-stream or broadcast religious activities, including praying, burning incense, ordinations, scripture chanting, holding Mass, worshipping or receiving baptism online in the form of text, photo, audio or video,” according to Global Times.
The only churches that can offer any sort of online worship streaming are the ones approved by the state. This means that only churches that are communist-run (part of the Self Patriotic Movement or the Chinese Patriotic Catholic Association) can officially operate.
It is estimated that countless of Chinese Christians are forced to worship in illegal underground churches.
According to the Bitter Winter report, an underground church pastor tried to stream a service to followers, but the live stream was swiftly taken down.
“Our first and only online gathering was blocked by the government soon after it started,” the pastor said.
The same pastor noted in the Bitter Winter report that they had to change where they held their services a total of five times. This was done so that they could evade “continuous police harassment.
Cardinal Joseph Zen, the Bishop Emeritus of Hong Kong, has been very vocal in calling out the persecution of Christians in China. He has also been critical of the Vatican’s deal with the Chinese Regime.
In an exclusive interview with LifeSiteNews, Cardinal Zen criticized the Vatican for its silence on China’s abuses of power in Hong Kong, as well as its treatment of Catholics in mainland China.
According to Zen, the communist Chinese Catholic Patriotic Association has always “been objectively schismatic” and remains that way even with “the blessing from the Holy See.”
He also not long ago said he has evidence that the Vatican secretary of state ‘manipulated’ Pope Francis on the Vatican China deal.
The Bitter Winter report also notes that two Chinese Christian Councils from the Shandong Province put a notice out in late February demanding that all churches stop live streaming their services.
The same report also notes that in some areas, church pastors were advising their followers to immediately cease any online WeChat groups. The pastors went as far as to notify authorities as to who was participating in an online conversation.
The Bitter Winter report said that in late January, “Three-Self churches in Shandong sent their congregations the instructions issued by the Bureau of Public Information and Network Security Supervision prohibiting to make remarks unfavorable to the government and to spread information about the epidemic that has not been approved by the state.”
The report went on to say that “Any online account posting such comments or information would be banned permanently, and related churches implicated.”
A pastor from a Three-Self church from Shandong said in the Bitter Winter report that the government has information on everyone.
“The Public Security Bureau has information on all members of every WeChat group, and network inspections are carried out, especially strict during the pandemic.”
In the same report, a Three-Self church member said the government has encouraged everything else to open after lockdown restrictions were eased, except churches.
“Encouraged by the government, many factories and public venues have been reopened, but religious venues are still barred,” said the church member.
“Religious meetings are forbidden, and all channels of religious communication are blocked.”
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lifesitenews--2020-04-20--Rise in young men bored by mainstream pornography turning to child sex-abuse for kicks

April 20 , 2020 ( LifeSiteNews ) – Regular readers of this column will know that I have penned tens of thousands of words on the impact pornography has had on our society : The way it is mainstreaming sexual violence inside of romantic relationships ; poisoning a generation of young people with vile ideas about sex ; creating a spike in child-on-child sexual assaults ; devastating the social bonds we depend on for our happiness .
But believe it or not , it is getting worse .
As I ’ ve written before , there is nothing that pornography @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the United Kingdom are warning that young British men between the ages of 18 and 26 are “ emerging as a ‘ new group ’ of online paedophiles after being brought up on a ‘ staple diet ’ of porn , ” according to the Metro UK .
In an interview with the Internet Watch Foundation ’ s podcast “ Pixels from a Crime Scene , ” Norfolk Police Chief Constable Simon Bailey , the officer in charge of national child protection , noted that the United Kingdom is the world ’ s @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the Metro put it , “ online child sexual abuse.
” Exposure to pornography at a young age can often lead men to seek out increasingly perverse versions of porn in their search for novelty ( many studies have confirmed that pornography functions like a drug ) , and now digital pornography is creating a generation of pedophiles—men who are aroused by sex acts with children .
According to Bailey , these men have become “ desensitised ” to the digital pornography they initially used , and eventually begin to seek out illegal @ @ @ @ @ @ @ abuse of children .
“ They get to the point where there ’ s no pornographic material that is stimulating to them so then they start to explore what child abuse imagery might look like , ” Bailey told the Internet Watch Foundation .
“ They start getting their kicks from that.
” Bailey is afraid that the problem is going to get a lot worse : “ You look at the opportunities that will be afforded by people who are living in poverty to then exploit children to generate income , ” @ @ @ @ @ @ @ enforcement response to child porn being “ the best in the world bar none , ” it simply will not be enough.
” Up to five hundred offenders are being arrested every month , with an estimated 700 children being “ safeguarded , ” but still the problem continues to grow at a rate that Bailey finds staggering .
“ We have got to start being very honest about this , ” he told the IWF .
“ We have got to start debating this more in public .
We ’ ve got @ @ @ @ @ @ @ fact that there are some appalling things taking place online , that unfortunately the internet is probably the route of most of the evils .
We have to start looking at that , and we have to start genuinely asking the question : How much more are we going to tolerate ?
” As the Metro noted , Bailey ’ s warning “ comes as the National Crime Agency warns that at least 300,000 people in the UK pose a sexual threat to children as paedophiles look to exploit the coronavirus lockdown.
” @ @ @ @ @ @ @ one we need to be asking : How much more are we willing to tolerate ?
Digital pornography is ravaging society , and it is quite literally transforming ordinary boys and men into sexual predators .
Is the so-called “ freedom ” to arouse oneself to images of people being degraded and abused onscreen worth the price we pay in sexual assaults , victimized children , broken marriages , and ruptured social bonds ?
Is the fictitious “ right ” to see girls and women beaten up and abused for sexual pleasure worth @ @ @ @ @ @ @ and poisoned souls ?
I don ’ t think so .
I think that it is time we ban pornography—and that considering the alternative , that isn ’ t even a radical suggestion .
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 FH Buckley to discuss the current political situation in America and how secession could be looming on the horizon .
Buckley ’ s newest book American Secession : @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , details the current division and high tensions being faced by Americans might just culminate in something we have n't seen since the civil war .
You can subscribe here and listen to the episode below :

April 20, 2020 (LifeSiteNews) – Regular readers of this column will know that I have penned tens of thousands of words on the impact pornography has had on our society: The way it is mainstreaming sexual violence inside of romantic relationships; poisoning a generation of young people with vile ideas about sex; creating a spike in child-on-child sexual assaults; devastating the social bonds we depend on for our happiness.
But believe it or not, it is getting worse. As I’ve written before, there is nothing that pornography cannot poison—and now, police in the United Kingdom are warning that young British men between the ages of 18 and 26 are “emerging as a ‘new group’ of online paedophiles after being brought up on a ‘staple diet’ of porn,” according to the Metro UK.
In an interview with the Internet Watch Foundation’s podcast “Pixels from a Crime Scene,” Norfolk Police Chief Constable Simon Bailey, the officer in charge of national child protection, noted that the United Kingdom is the world’s third-largest consumer of child pornography—or, as the Metro put it, “online child sexual abuse.” Exposure to pornography at a young age can often lead men to seek out increasingly perverse versions of porn in their search for novelty (many studies have confirmed that pornography functions like a drug), and now digital pornography is creating a generation of pedophiles—men who are aroused by sex acts with children.
Follow Jonathon van Maren on Facebook
According to Bailey, these men have become “desensitised” to the digital pornography they initially used, and eventually begin to seek out illegal pornography featuring horrific sex crimes featuring the abuse of children. “They get to the point where there’s no pornographic material that is stimulating to them so then they start to explore what child abuse imagery might look like,” Bailey told the Internet Watch Foundation. “They start getting their kicks from that.”
Bailey is afraid that the problem is going to get a lot worse: “You look at the opportunities that will be afforded by people who are living in poverty to then exploit children to generate income,” and despite the UK’s law enforcement response to child porn being “the best in the world bar none,” it simply will not be enough.” Up to five hundred offenders are being arrested every month, with an estimated 700 children being “safeguarded,” but still the problem continues to grow at a rate that Bailey finds staggering.
“We have got to start being very honest about this,” he told the IWF. “We have got to start debating this more in public. We’ve got to start coming to terms with the fact that there are some appalling things taking place online, that unfortunately the internet is probably the route of most of the evils. We have to start looking at that, and we have to start genuinely asking the question: How much more are we going to tolerate?”
As the Metro noted, Bailey’s warning “comes as the National Crime Agency warns that at least 300,000 people in the UK pose a sexual threat to children as paedophiles look to exploit the coronavirus lockdown.”
Bailey’s question is precisely the one we need to be asking: How much more are we willing to tolerate?
Digital pornography is ravaging society, and it is quite literally transforming ordinary boys and men into sexual predators. Is the so-called “freedom” to arouse oneself to images of people being degraded and abused onscreen worth the price we pay in sexual assaults, victimized children, broken marriages, and ruptured social bonds? Is the fictitious “right” to see girls and women beaten up and abused for sexual pleasure worth the destruction it reaps in human suffering and poisoned souls?
I don’t think so. I think that it is time we ban pornography—and that considering the alternative, that isn’t even a radical suggestion.
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 FH Buckley to discuss the current political situation in America and how secession could be looming on the horizon. Buckley’s newest book American Secession: The Looming Threat of a National Breakup, details the current division and high tensions being faced by Americans might just culminate in something we haven't seen since the civil war. 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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